A mother has been forced to arm herself with a rake every time she walks through her own garden because her family live in fear of a ‘killer cockerel’ who chases everyone he encounters.
Rebekah Williams, 32, from Torfaen, Wales, has spent the past six months frightened of being attacked and having ‘her eyes gouged out’ by angry bird Derek Jr who truly believes he rules the roost with his ‘mean’ attitude.
Ms Williams doesn’t even bat an eye-lid when she hears screams coming from her yard, because she knows son Oliver Williams will be facing their pet’s fiery temper.
She shared the family’s fear in a viral Facebook video which shows her 10-year-old screaming in terror as Derek Jr chases him across the lawn and down a garden path.
Rebekah Williams, 32, from Torfaen, Wales, has spent the past six months frightened of being attacked and having ‘her eyes gouged out’ by angry bird Derek Jr who truly believes he rules the roost with his ‘mean’ attitude. Pictured: Ms Williams’s son Oliver, 10, running from Derek Jr
Ms Williams doesn’t even bat an eye-lid when she hears screams coming from her yard, because she knows son Oliver Williams (pictured being chased by Derek Jr) will be facing their pet’s fiery temper
The fearsome cockerel manages to catch up with Oliver before the youngster escapes by vaulting over a gate onto another field.
Ms Williams even admits visitors are scared of taking a stroll in their yard in case they come face to face with the 10-month-old free-range cockerel who patrols their land.
Husband Mark Williams has learned to make a quick dash when he opens Derek Jr’s coop at 7am every morning, and from then until night the cockerel chases any human he spots.
Ms Williams believes Derek Jr’s bad attitude may stem from trying to show off to his hen ‘girlfriend’ Brenda.
She said: ‘We always call him the killer cockerel because people are literally scared to come in through the gates. They always ask if he’s there.
‘He reminds me of a velociraptor. Head down, and he just runs after you. He’s quiet so you don’t know until he’s behind you or has his claws in your legs.
Ms Williams (left, with her son Oliver) shared the family’s fear in a viral Facebook video which shows her 10-year-old son Oliver (left and right, with Derek Jr) screaming in terror as Derek Jr chases him across the lawn and down a garden path
Ms Williams even admits visitors are scared of taking a stroll in their yard in case they come face to face with the 10-month-old free-range cockerel who patrols their land
‘We’ve got five other cockerels, so I’m not really sure what his problem is. He has got a group that follow him but they stay away from him too because he’s just mean.
‘It started when I was putting something in the bin and he just chased me from behind. I wasn’t expecting it, so now I have to use a rake every time I go out to protect myself.
‘I hold it out so he can’t get close. It’s like we’re living in fear of our own cockerel. He definitely thinks it’s his land.
‘On the video that went viral, we heard Oliver screaming but we knew exactly what was happening. We didn’t go to help him because he can run faster than us.
‘I value my eyesight too much to go near him to be honest, because I think he’d just gouge your eyes out if he could.
‘Mark doesn’t get chased because he just stays away from him. He’s very weary of him so he sidesteps around him and in the morning when he opens the coop he’ll slide the door open and run.
‘Oliver will play football in the garden and he goads Derek Jr a little bit, but he’s ready to run whenever he comes after him.’
Ms Williams and her husband Mark, 49, own a carpet shop and also look after their other animals including goats and chickens – who are scared of Derek Jr too.
She believes the most likely trigger for Derek Jr’s bad temper is his desire to protect his hen ‘girlfriend’ Brenda, but even her and their five other cockerels, 20 hens and 10 ducks keep their distance from him.
She claims she and her husband see the funny side of watching their son get chased, and she says the angry cockerel would make a much better guard dog than their six-year-old Pomeranian, George.
She added: ‘At least we don’t need a guard dog anyway because he does the job. Our dog’s pathetic so Derek Jr would do a much better job.
‘When Oliver has friends round, I’ll have to make them aware of Derek Jr. I don’t want any parents suing me if their kids get attacked or anything. We might need a sign.’