Mr. Tough Guy

A number of weeks ago we received 3 new chickens and a rooster.  Our chicken population had been dwindling - many of our birds caught some sort of  terminal respiratory virus, and we were down to only one. Luckily someone answered our Facebook post and we're back to a solid brood.  The chickens are finally laying now too which is great - we went through a dry egg spell for quite a while.  It's no fun buying eggs when you keep your own chickens.  But this post isn't about chickens, or their eggs.  It's about the rooster.  And he is definitely a cock.

Step off.

Now, this may be typical, and I'm told that it is ... but our rooster is kind of a punk.  When you walk by him and his harem, the lady birds will move out of your way, but he just flaps his wings, even takes a step forward  as if to say "get off my path!"  If you walk towards him directly, he'll flap his wings, make some throaty rooster sounds, and wait till the very last minute before he steps away from you (only because now you really are too close to him - and let's face it, you're much bigger).  But as soon as you move back and give him space, he steps towards you as if to say "yeah that's right ... keep moving."  He likes to get the last "step" if you will. 

You can find many an intern messing with him, as a result.  All very playful of course ... we'll walk behind him with increasing speed and intensity and see how long it takes before he actually runs away.  Though, I've tried  this - and he turned and lunged at me!  He's lunged at others too - clearly, he's on to our games.  Last week, as I was walking behind him a bit too close for a bit to long, he quickly turned around, flapped his wings, few up into the air waist-high, froze Matrix style, did a 360 and scratched my legs on his way back down.  I kid you not.  I chased him down the path after pulling a stunt like that.  It's the Intern Village, not Rooster Row.

For being so sassy he's actually quite handsome.  Cassie and I have been eying the teal feathers in his tail - they'd make lovely earnings.  Just sayin. ;)