Testosterone

Up to now, the menagerie has been dominated by females. The majority of the ducks are female, all but one of the hens are too- we were even out numbered in the cottage with Joan Meg and Maddie ruling the roost.However, recently the young males have started to assert themselves. Stanley the cockerel in the main run is a real damp squib, he crows intermittently to be sure but it is all a bit of a half hearted affair indeed.

Rogo, the handsome young red rooster with his 8 teenage hens (above) has started to answer Stanley and only just manages to sound like a child's kazoo in the crowing stakes and in the buff enclosure Clover now is expanding his lungs and is letting rip with his adolescent cock-a doodle doo-ing. Today I watched Clover sparring with his second in command, the sweet natured Poppy. I saw no pecking or overt physical aggression from either cockerel, which is typical of the buffs' good nature. They just seemed to jostle each other, like two fat old men. Bugger knows what the neighbours will be thinking when they all get going in tandem as it were.

In the male stakes, Albert too seems to stretching his tom cat muscles and spends many excited hours running the terriers ragged. No longer can he be intimidated by a wet tongue and a cold nose.

The weather is closing in tonight, so it is fire on, Strictly Come dancing is about to start and I aim to vote for the delightful Jodie Kidd.