A rooster is cock-a-hoop after surviving a whole year on a commercial egg farm without being outed as a male imposter.
The young cockerel was living among thousands of egg-laying hens when he was discovered in a recent rescue run by Kildare-based Littlehill Animal Rescue and Sanctuary.
The charity specialises in freeing battery hens from captivity and finding new homes where they can roam freely outdoors.
Roosters don’t lay eggs and are typically discarded as day-old chicks at commercial egg factories.
Littlehill Animal Rescue and Sanctuary took to social media yesterday to celebrate the rescue rooster who lived as a hen, and to reveal his new name – "Mr D'Arcy, Mr Ray D'Arcy”.
“Sooooo, this boy has to be the luckiest male in Ireland right now! He has survived one year in a caged egg farm without being spotted,” the veteran charity told Facebook followers.
It also revealed that ‘Mr D'Arcy’ follows another rooster who was found in similar circumstances last year.
“Last year, we had Mr Weasley, who is now quite the celebrity, and this year we have found this boy living among thousands of hens, keeping his magnificent head down and not being spotted.”
