Random cockerel arrived - can he live happily with my 8 hens?

[beachyhead]

We heard and saw a couple of chickens running loose on the lane near our house over the weekend. We asked around but no luck and then the birds wandered off. On Monday night, there was a 'chicken attack' noise in our garden. We investigated and there were a lot of feathers and nothing else. On Tuesday morning, we found a small cockerel in the garden, missing a tail and a wing!

He followed our hens into their house last night and is still there this morning!

Does anyone keep a cockerel with their hens happily? Will he hassle them? Assuming we collect the eggs frequently and the chooks aren't sitting on them, we should be OK on that score.

There is obviously the noise issue, but we are pretty rural and the ndn's used to keep hens too.

He's very pretty, even missing half his parts!

[beachyhead]

Help Chicken keepers....

[mistlethrush]

We had a hen fly in one Monday morning and join our flock in a similar way (she was named 'Monday'). Yes, you can keep a cock with the flock - he'll be extremely happy, the hens put up with it - it doesn't make them more likely to sit on the eggs but the eggs would (potentially) hatch if they did sit on them for 3 weeks. If you can shut him in a house at night you won't be able to hear him as much.

[daisydotandgertie]

He'll shag them all rotten, but you have enough hens for him - and he will look after them in a chickeney way - ours used to make sure they all went to bed on time and summoned them to delicious food morsels. It was hilarious to watch; they all happily deferred to him. And got very adept at avoiding his special brand of loving.

[beachyhead]

Thanks chicken keepers. He will be in a house overnight with them, so hopefully won't be too loud. I'll think again in May when we are all woken up at 4am!

He must think this is his lucky day; after a nightmare where a fox gets your wing and tail, waking up in a warm dry bed with 8 hens to look after, fresh food and clean water! Rooster heaven.