Scotland’s animal welfare charity has embarked on a gladiator task to find a new forever home for a crestfallen cockerel named Russell Crow.
The bird arrived at the Scottish SPCA with his friend Dick Van Dyke and is looking to move to a new location somewhere in Tayside and Fife.
He is described by the charity as a “lovely lad” who is looking for a spacious home with plenty of room to explore and some hens “so he can find his forever girlfriend”.
The Scottish SPCA is looking to mark National Poultry Day by matching up 24 cockerels at its rescue and rehoming centres throughout Scotland with new families.
The charity said it often cared for cockerels for years before they find their new families, with new birds arrivingevery month.
Scottish SPCA rescue and rehoming centre superintendent Sharon Comrie said: “Sadly we don’t receive many inquiries about our cockerels.
“These birds require homes with specialist knowledge of their needs and plenty of space for them to roam around, hopefully with some female feathered friends.”
She said cockerels were increasingly being kept in urban, domestic settings by inexperienced owners who have not considered the care and commitment the birds need.
“Cockerels can be extremely aggressive and will often attack or even kill other males and hens, especially when they are kept in unsuitable environments. Sadly, this has led to a rise in the number of abandoned and unwanted cockerels coming into our care,” she added.
“Cockerels are not domestic pets and should only ever be kept as livestock by experienced owners.
“Anyone looking to take on a cockerel needs to be knowledgeable and have the time and commitment to ensure they receive the specialist care and attention they need to be happy and healthy.”
Hans, Christian and Anderson are the Scottish SPCA’s longest cockerel residents, having been in the care of the centre in Edinburgh for 285 days.
