Even today, when cockfighting was finally banned in 1835, we still use the Standards laid down by Herbert Atkinson and others to judge Old English Game. Unfortunately, as noted in an earlier article, there are too many deviations from the types which should be given prizes instead of those that appear to be large bantam types. However, that is another story which hopefully will be corrected before it is too late.
I believe that we have a duty to preserve the old and rare livestock which have been in existence since early times and in this category come the Hennies, which include the Hen Cocks, where the male bird converts into hen plumage after the first major moult, when a 'stag' becomes a cock. In fact, although the cocks of this breed have this change in plumage they do not alter the aggressiveness or the ability to mate and fertilize eggs, producing chicks.
The birds I had, which were developed from one cock I had left have now all gone when my stock had to be reduced on moving house, but hopefully, other fanciers will still have them. I hope my study will help to show the position on this very rare breed of Old English Game.
Two Types of Cocks
There has to be recognition that there are two types of cock (ignoring the Rumpless breeds that are tail-less breeds) :
The differences can be seen from the drawings.
During my adult lifetime I have met a few breeders who kept Hennies, but do not know of any breeder at the present time.
In fact, that I am able to write about them at the present time is a miracle because it is believed they were brought to Cornwall, probably Falmouth, by a race now extinct, which were called the Phoenicians. They lived and traded in pre-Christian times, dwelling in a region off the Mediterranean Sea. A summary is reproduced below from The Hen Cock A Monograph written by the author and about to be published.
this article, together with photographs, continues in the September 2011 issue of Featherd World.
