Mister Weasley has had an exciting life in the last year, he got a new home, a new family and discovered that he is not a hen but is actually a rooster!

The rooster was adopted by Niamh Guibe and her family at a hen run organised by LittleHill Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Bandon last year.

The rescue centre aims to re-home hens who have reached the end of their peak productive lives with the male chicks being destroyed after a few days of life.

Niamh went to the hen run hoping to adopt two more to add to the four the family already had at home and she explained to us that roosters were never brought to hen runs as they do not lay eggs and therefore have no place at a factory.

She told CorkBeo about the moment she saw Mister Weasley for the first time and how he became the newest member of the family.

"In the first crate they opened there were a few hens and then I saw this big bird with wattles and a big comb and I said to the people running the run 'that's a rooster not a hen'".

"They said that maybe he was just a weird looking hen but then they looked him over and decided that he was in fact a rooster".

"They decided to take him back to Little Hill and I put the two hens in the car to take them home but I couldn't stop thinking about him. He had been with these hens his whole life and I just couldn't leave him there"

"He looked really sad and lonely so we took him home. We came home with three animals instead of two but I just couldn't leave him behind".

"Before we went to the hen run, my kids and I decided that we were going to name them Molly and Ginny Weasley but then obviously we came back with a male too so he became Mr Weasley".

Niamh explained to us how Mister Weasley may have started off as a hen and evolved in to a rooster, but there is also a possibility that he was born male and just mixed in with a crowd of hens.

"The vet thinks that he is a genetic male but sometimes if a hen only has one ovary they can transition to male so he might be one of those. I think he is just a confused rooster".

He doesn't really behave like a rooster so in terms of his behaviour I think he is halfway between a hen and a rooster. It doesn't really matter what he is, he is just such a lovely creature and we are very glad that we have him. He has enriched our lives".

"Mister Weasley is a gentle giant and he looks after all the hens making sure that they get shelter and if there is a fight he gets in between them".

On Sunday, LittleHill Animal Rescue will travel to Fermoy and Youghal with hundreds of rescued hens who are seeking their forever homes. The charity is appealing to kind-hearted people throughout Cork city and county to take home a few of these quirky creatures, as they will otherwise be sent to slaughter.

To acquire feathered friends of your very own, send a private message to the charitys Facebook page, LittleHill Animal Rescue & Sanctuary stating the number of hens you would like to adopt and the collection town for this Sunday the 26th: Youghal or Fermoy.

People without a Facebook account can ask a relative or friend to reserve hens on their behalf. A small adoption fee of six euro per hen applies.

Read the rest here:
Meet Mister Weasley - the rescue rooster who started life as a hen - Cork Beo

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