If you’ve been keeping up, you know I recently moved to the farm and bought a bunch of baby chickens. Then two weeks ago, I added a few mostly grown, almost ready to lay, hens to those baby chickens. And today, I picked up a few more chicks, just for the fun of it.
You could say I’m obsessed with chickens…in fact, my husband said he was becoming addicted to the farm animal aspect of farm living. It’s like watching the chicken show every day. Just toss a few live worms, or a piece of white bread, into the chicken pen and sit back and watch the show!
I was so excited today as I did the head count…three almost ready to lay eggs…and twelve that will be just a few months behind them. Ummm…make that eleven.
Cock-a-doodle-doOne of my pullets (girl chickens) is actually a rooster (that’s a boy chicken for the uninformed.)
I discovered this little twist while examining my chicks today in the yard. One of them was more interested in flying than the others. It was trying to perch up high. It was bigger than the others. And it has a strangely over-developed “comb” (that’s the red thing on the top of their heads). This discovery prompted me to pick him up and check out his very muscular legs.
This chick has a pair of spurs on his legs. Hens don’t have spurs…Roosters have spurs. I have a rooster.
OMG! I have a rooster!
I was so excited. Suddenly, I was trying to come up with very roostery names for this “king of the peeps.” I pulled a chair up to the pen and stared down at him for hours, watching how he moves…how he interacts with the others…waiting for him to crow (he hasn’t yet.)
My husband came up behind me and asked if my fascination with roosters means I’m obsessed with cocks.
Men. They always have to circle the conversation back to that!
Then again…does living on a farm mean I can say cock without getting strange looks? Can I invite people to come check out my…nah…probably not.
Until the next time…I’ll be waiting for my rooster to crow!