Operation to fix rooster's cock-a-doodle-doo hailed a success

An operation to fix a mute rooster's beak has been hailed as a success and raised hopes he will cock-a-doodle-doo for the first time. Captain Beaky, who also struggled to eat, went under the knife to have his broken bottom jaw fixed.



The operation means the cockerel from Lancaster, Lancashire, can now easily feed himself but he is yet to give the famous call. He had to travel to Northern Ireland for the operation as it was hard to find a vet to do the job in England. However, the rooster then went on to have an accident while recuperating at the animal hospital when he bashed his new beak into a wall and needed a second operation.

The procedures have cost owners Tina and Martin Wilkinson a total of £500, along with travel expenses. The rooster was adopted by the couple after he had been found abandoned in a woodland near their house. The family have 80 chickens, 10 ducks, two turkeys, four cats and two dogs. They decided to raise money for Captain Beaky's operation because they wanted to "make his life easier".



Mrs Wilkinson, who set up Hedwig's House for Chickens in Hestbank, Lancaster, in 2014, said: "He was struggling but we saw his will to live." She added she had been shocked to hear about the accident after the first operation. "He is fine but I feel guilty because he had a major operation. I worry about him," she said. "He doesn't realise he can eat because he has always struggled." The couple said Captain Beaky was still trying to learn how to use his new beak.

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