It is astonishing how much fourteen chickens can eat. When white-speckled cockerel started crowing, I thought, 'That's it! I will give away a few of them.'
First I opened the cage and caught the blue-highlight, black male. He struggled valiantly. I held on to him tightly. With the other hand, I closed the cage and caught his legs. Then I tied them together with a short length of twine.
Next I caught the biggest female which had not started laying. It was easier to control her as by size, she was smaller than the male. When she was trussed up, in she went to the box with the male.
Then I took the male with a black-feathered father and a pale-feathered mother. Interestingly, the offspring is not attractive in plumage. The scattering of brownish feathers among the predominant black looks dirty.
By then my son had returned and he caught the biggest: the white-speckled cockerel. While he held on securely, I tied the big bird's legs. This chicken is easily four times in weight compared to the blue-highlight, black male.
It was tiring struggling with chickens. I almost tripped on the stairs going up to change before driving the chickens to their destination.
Big fat white-speckled would make a delicious meal for an extended family on a holiday weekend. The three smaller ones would probably be kept to start a brood of chickens who can fly. I certainly hope that this gift would solve my friend's problem of losing chickens to monitor lizards.
