Darwin Pays A Visit
About six months ago we counted the chickens in our semi annual chicken round up. Make sure everyone is present and accounted for. All the hens were there. The rooster was there. But there was an extra rooster. A very pretty, but extra loud rooster. After scratching our heads for a few days, trying to figure out where the extra rooster had come from, we realized the only possibilty was a visiting livestock trailer. He was a stow away on a sheep delivery.
We called the rightful owners and they confessed that it was in fact possible that their rooster had jumped the sheep train. In fact, they realized it when they were here but decided the rooster would be quite happy here...and who felt like trying to catch a rooster anyway?
So we allowed the rooster to stay. We thought he'd get along. But old rooster wouldn't have any part of new rooster. So new rooster went to live with the sheep. He had no hens of his own. He was a little on the sad side. But a beautiful rooster he was!
Black and white rooster had this habit of crowing all night long. I mean, ALL NIGHT LONG... Cock A Doodle Doooooooooo....All the night through. All night, every night, for many, many months. I, an insomniac in the first place do not need any help staying awake at night.... so I decided the rooster had to go. I was planning to send it to 'live' on a neighboring farm. Where they kept hens but no roosters. I don't know what they did with the roosters, and I had decided I didn't care. Truthfully, I am positive they made no bones about eating old roosters and that the fate of B&W rooster was likely a seat at the neighbor's dinner table.
So today is Friday. B&W was going to live with new people on Saturday. This morning I went outside to check on sheep; see if any babies arrived overnight and there in the pasture were the feathers of B&W...everywhere. All over, nothing but feathers. I followed the feather trail into the woods. No sign of B&W but feathers. Poor guy. I really hated him, but I didn't want to see him go this way. He was such a loner. He wouldn't go inside at night. I mean, I reallly, really hated hearing him scream all night, but I didn't want to see him go feathers-all-over-the-place style.
Rich didn't believe me when I told him ole' B&W was gone. I told him to go see the feathers for himself. He called me out to show him the feathers. He didn't believe it either. I think it was a fox. Rich firmly believes it was a neighbor, either to the west or to the east, that was also sick of hearing ole B&W....he almost believes that rooster was so annoying that it is possible that a neighbor even came dressed as a fox, captured the poor guy and left nothing but feathers to make it look like an 'accident'.
Very sad - ole rooster! We didn't want to see you go this way! we'll miss you!!! Even your annoying 2AM COCK A DOODLE DOOOOOOOOO will be missed. We bid you adieu ~ Cock A Doodle Doo!
