I came home from summer school feeling very happy – its lovely being able to do what you love for a WHOLE WEEK – and found my cockerel, Mr Lavender, dead in the paddock. He had not died a natural death, at least it didn’t look like it. If it were a fox (which is a natural death in my opinion) it would not have left the body where it was and, secondly would not have killed or seriously injured some of the others. If someone had disturbed a fox I think they would have knocked on the door and told us…so I suspect a dog…but who knows? I could be wrong. Nevertheless it was very sad and I buried him. He was a superb Splash Orpington and four years old, and unlike some cockerels, not aggressive, he was a hatched by Angel, one of the hens which is still ‘clucking’ about…