The Plight of the Rooster!

As it's the Chinese Year of the Rooster, now is a great time to talk about their plight!

Chicken keeping has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and many people are buying Roosters or casually hatching eggs without a lot of thought about their care. Roosters can make wonderful, intelligent and inquisitive pets; we have a handful of very friendly chaps here, living harmoniously with their Hens and enjoying attention from us - we also have the all too common flip side, the highly territorial, aggressive boys that nobody wants to keep. They attack our Keepers and other Chickens, and obviously made such bad pets that they were abandoned on a nature reserve adjacent to the sanctuary.

We rescued 'Dec' after hearing a Rooster crowing near our overflow car park. Thankfully he and his friend. 'Ant' were both caught and taken to safety at the Sanctuary - and are the grumpiest Chickens we've ever met! We have so many bruises from well aimed pecks and kicks as we enter their aviary! Soon after another young Cockerel, 'Ace' joined us too, after being thrown over the fence!

On the other hand, here is one of our friendly Bantam Roosters enjoying some fuss from visiting kids! This little chap was left in a box on our car park.

Roosters can be noisy, calling loudly at the crack of dawn and annoying neighbours who aren't as keen on your pets as you (a big thank you to OUR neighbours who must hear ours calling throughout all hours of the day!). They can be aggressive and often cannot be kept with other males, being highly territorial towards their Hens. There is of course the obvious fact that they also cannot lay eggs!

Hatching chicks in schools has also become quite popular, with no thought as to what will happen if those eggs turn out to contain a male, and what will happen to them as they grow up.

We are contacted almost daily by people wanting to find a home for their unwanted Roosters and we are hearing of more and more cases of them being simply dumped, or even killed!

Our gorgeous 'Cedric', one of our more placid boys, was found abandoned; wandering about in the road!

Cedric enjoying a dust bath with his girlfriend, Helen (who was also chucked over our fence!) - this loving couple are absolutely inseparable.

Jack and Dave were left on our car park last year, and we've even had several hurled over the fence. Thankfully we got to them before the local foxes, but we can't always guarantee we'll be that lucky.

We wish that we could save them all, but we're sadly now at full capacity and simply do not have space for any more. Please, please THINK before you take on a pet or hatch an egg. A chicken is for life, Rooster or Hen!

If, however, you could take in a Rooster and offer him a happy forever home, please get in touch. We are hoping to create a list of people that we can contact and try to place some of these misunderstood birds and save them from a worse fate. We are proud to give our animals a forever home at Brockswood; but when there is no more space it doesn't hurt to have a backup should future animals need us than we can responsibly house.

...and of course, we couldn't talk about Roosters and miss out our beloved 'Henry', the gorgeous Sussex Rooster.
Henry not only gets on with other Chickens; he also loves fuss and cuddles (yes, cuddles!) from his Keepers, and even the other animals on the farm. In fact, he loves to spend time with our Goats.

In the future we hope to upgrade and expand all of our aviaries, creating a more spacious and purpose built environment for our birds and the many more who need a home. Together we can make our future great!

Happy Year of the Rooster!

We would like to wish you a happy new year! But did you know that 28th January marks the Chinese Year of the Rooster?

There are 12 zodiac signs, animals, that the Chinese use to represent their years. They run over a cycle of 12 years, so if you were born in the years 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, and 2005... then this means you're a Rooster! Other zodiac animals include Rabbits, Rats and Monkeys. With 2016 being the Year of the Monkey, we have a big year to follow up on!

Henry, one of our Roosters, full of pride that this year is dedicated to him!

So, why and how do the Chinese celebrate such an exhilarating occasion? The Chinese believe the celebrations, which run from 28th January - 2nd February, will lead to a lucky year; it celebrates the previous year of hard work, also allowing for rest and family time! It also wishes for a lucky coming year.

Celebration methods include:

• Using red to signify luck - decorating everywhere in red.
• Setting free lanterns.
• Festivals.
• Cyber-money and money gift-giving, usually in red envelopes.
• Dinners and other family time.

Fun Facts about the (not so humble!) Rooster

• Many Roosters struggle to get on with other Roosters, but they are intelligent animals nonetheless - Our Henry had a free-range period, where learnt to get on with our Goats!
• Roosters are the animals you hear being the village's personal alarm clock. 
• A younger Rooster is called a Cockerel, and an adult Rooster is called a Cock.
• A Rooster will typically guard his set of hens close, and is usually the head of the 'pecking order'. Pecking order is a literal term where chickens are concerned!
• Roosters are omnivores, and will typically, in the flock, get first access to all food.
• While some Roosters can be aggressive, species such as Bantams are easy to tame and are usually quite friendly. 
• A large comb on the head, plus larger frame/build, are what identifies a Rooster from a Hen. They can sometimes be aggressive, yes, but can also be tamed; a lovely back-garden pet.

We at Brockswood wish all animals, not just Roosters, a happy new year - and our visitors too! Don't forget, we re-open on 8th April, and can't wait to see you!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween at Brockswood is an occasion our animals all look forward to - it means treats, treats and more treats! Of course, it's all in moderation, but what's better than tucking into some pumpkin?

Pumpkins and their seeds are a great source of vitamins and nutrients, such as Vitamins A, E, C, antioxidants, lutein and beta-carotene. The seeds are even thought to aid natural de-worming! What a great way to recycle!

Our new Roosters, Davey & Jack loved it!

And so did Missy the Raccoon!

Additionally, we all had some great fun dressing up - Rosie the goat loved being our star witch for the year. Even Tuppence, who's a bit shy sometimes, seemed inquisitive as to why her enclosure suddenly bared all things Halloween-y.

So how can YOU make Halloween fun AND safe for your animals?

• Keep your pets inside - ground your cats, tell your dogs to stay, as trick-or-treating commotion can be quite upsetting. Simply put a spooky film on and give them some love instead!
• Don't be a stranger. Masks and costumes can be quite frightening for your pets - they don't know who you are! So when around them, keep masks and costumes on the DL. 
• What about treat time? Make sure all treats given are non-toxic, and in moderation - human chocolate, sweets, and gum are a DEFINITE no-no!
• What if I'm having a house party? Set your pet up in a 'safe room' - a quiet, chilled environment where they can get away. 
• Even the best vampire dog can't drink blood. Make sure all decorations (i.e. candles, lights, cardboard cut-outs) are all out of pet's reach. Even things like rubber eyeballs or fake blood can pose a threat. 
• Not every pet is a dress-up star. Be aware of how your pet feels dressing up; if they're uncomfortable, let them be themselves for this year! Ensure the costume used is safe! Remove dangling parts, masks that cover eyes etc, and ensure your pet can move freely.
• Customise and personalise. Got a rabbit? Give them a cabbage leaf stuffed with veg as their treat bag. Got a dog? Buy them some new toys! Leftover pumpkin? Feed it to your chickens! Don't be afraid to GET CREATIVE!

Out of Quarantine

Say hello to two beautiful boys - Jack and Dave.

With all new arrivals, we have to quarantine them for 30 days as a standard procedure; contamination and illness is always a risk with new animals, no matter how healthy them seem, as we can never be 100% sure of their backgrounds, genetics or past lifestyle. Don't worry, though - we keep quarantined animals in a cosy, warm stable catered to their needs. The boys had a treat being pampered by our keepers and being able to listen to the sounds of our farm; all the better for them settling in!

Now though, they are free out of quarantine, and loving their new enclosure in our Walled Garden! Dave, being the friendly boy he is, loves to perch on our shoulders and have a bit of a cuddle (who would have ever thought cockerels would love cuddles?), while Jack is a true adventurer - he can usually be found exploring his enclosure, searching for dips in the ground, and logs to clamber on and let out his mighty calls!

So what's the story with this pair? They were found dumped on-site, outside the gates in a cardboard box, in the early hours of the morning. Although frightened at the time, they've settled in brilliantly now; all the better, for the adventures they're bound to have with us, and their neighbours (or rival clan!) the turkeys.

So why not pay them a visit, before we close for Winter?

New Aviary!

It's been a labour of love but our brand new Cockatiel aviary is now complete, and the birds moved into it. It is truly wonderful to have an enclosure that makes us smile to walk in to! We always want the best for our animals, and find ourselves walking into their enclosures each day thinking about all of the things that need fixing and making better for them, and at times that can be quite disheartening. To see what CAN be achieved has been a big morale boost for us, and we can't wait to start work on all of the other enclosures. In time we'd also like to build more, but the animals here now have to come first.

Cockatiels settled in their new aviary!

A big thank you to those who made it happen... the kind people who made donations and everybody who entered our summer raffle - YOU, as well as our very hard working volunteers and staff, made this possible!

We also took great pleasure in dismantling the old aviary next door once we'd moved the birds, ready to build a new one here too... and slowly get them ALL up to this standard one-by-one! The future's bright, together we can do this!