Dennis

One morning, we received a phone call from individuals who had found a cockerel tangled in brambles.

They had managed to free him but were unsure what to do next. They described him as being quite young and not very big. However, when Dennis arrived and stood up, it became clear that he was a tall Asian Fighting Cockerel, far from the small native breed they had initially thought.

Dennis is generally fine with people, but his instincts drive him to dominate anything with wings, spindly legs, and a beak—especially if it’s male.

Although this aggressive behaviour is part of his genetic makeup, it puts considerable pressure on our more passive native cockerels, who either feel compelled to stand up to him to protect their hens or wisely choose to run and hide.

Despite our efforts to integrate Dennis with small groups of hens, his breeding dictates his behaviour; he was born to fight, and that’s what he continues to do.

For now, Dennis has his own quarters while we search for hens with the resilience to handle him—ideally, the equivalent of sumo wrestlers—to keep him in check.