Sybil Ludington Rides Again

Politics, Freedom and Farm Life

A Tale of Two Roosters

First I will tell you about David Allen. I’ve had David since he was a day old. David came from the wonderful Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon. Missouri that is. David is an Araucana, they are very smart chickens and are the ones that lay the blue, green and pink colored eggs. Some call them the Easter Egg chicken. Some also think they may be a bit smarter than other chickens. I do. David is named after two of my favorite Lieutenant Colonels. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Lt. Col. Allen West. I only name chickens after people I admire and like. David was crowing at 2-3 weeks, this is VERY young. What’s more, he was doing it when I asked him to sing for “Mama”. As he grew up and moved to the “big house”, the chicken house with a outdoor play area he continued to be a nice, kind well mannered Roo. Every morning David sits on a ledge when he hears me coming in and waits to have his chest rubbed. That’s just our routine.

Handsome David Allen waits to have his chest rubbed.

Handsome David Allen waits to have his chest rubbed.

Next I will tell you about Trey. Trey is named after Trey Gowdy. I’ve admired Trey for a long time, although there have been a few incidents last year that made me shake my head. As there have been with my Roo. There are times that I remember the day he got out and I patiently kept trying to catch him and get him back in the chicken house. Left on his own outside of some poultry netting or the brick house, he wouldn’t last long. Everything wants to kill and eat a chicken. I guess cause it tastes like chicken. But capture him I did and returned him to his family. And family they are, David Allen is his father. Trey and 3 sisters were born here.

When David was the “head Fred”, the boss of the chicken house he behaved well as a leader. The hens were happy, he behaved with civility to Trey and all was well.

But time passes, and as the nature of most creatures, someone has to be in charge. With chickens it is literally a “pecking order”. While David is still “virile” he has aged, Trey is bigger, younger and stronger. Trey is the “head Fred” now, and his behavior leaves a bit to be desired.

Where David was gracious in leadership, Trey is a bully. Trey will chase David off from the food and the girls, water too. I do not like bullies, can’t abide them.

In the beginning, I would try to run Trey around giving David a chance to eat. Or when Trey made a move on David, I would go after him. I should probably still do that. It’s a great way to practice cutting skills and burn calories. But what I finally tried was throwing food into David in the other room where he was hanging out with a couple of girls. My thought was David and the girls could still eat.

David Allen is smarter than I am. At times at least. What he chose to do, was eat in there with the girls, and then a few other girls would come (David Allen really is the better looking of the two). Then Trey couldn’t stand it. He would go in the other room, the roost room and run David off. David would “run off” by jumping into the dining room, with lots of food in hanging feeders and a water fountain and the rest of the girls. Trey is eating off the floor with a few girls. But Trey thinks he “won”.

So, perhaps sometimes the bullies seem to win, but by David assessing the situation well, better than I, he used Trey’s bullying nature to get the better end of the deal. My contribution was giving him something to work with.

I think G-d is in every animal, well, maybe not liberals because they don’t want him. But in most animals. I absolutely believe he can speak to us through nature and our furred and feathered friends. So as I watch the two boys deal with the situation in their own way I realize there are times when a bully may seem to win, but it’s the smart Roo that’s coming out on top.

 

סיביל

1 Comment

  1. Loved the story! Grandma W. would love to hear that story.

    A.N.

Leave a Reply to Aunt Nina Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

*