One of our neighbours, on the far side of the farm hamlet (maybe 200 metres away) keeps chickens. We don't see much of them, unless we go for a walk down there, but we can hear the rooster crowing in the morning, which is very pleasant and just as it should be. Nature's alarm clock.
For the last couple of weeks we have a rooster in our garden too. He spends most of the day here. There's not much to eat, though there have been a lot of windfall plums this summer, and he has no friends here. He does no damage, as far as I can see; he likes to sit inside our front hedge - I imagine the shade has been welcome in the hot weather; he stalks about the place looking vaguely belligerent, and he seems to drift away home in the evenings. It is noticeable that he gets here early enough to welcome the dawn each day, which certainly wakes you up if you are not used to it.
I also noticed that I can still hear a rooster crowing on the other side of the village when our new friend is here, so there must be two roosters. Hmmm.
I thought that roosters couldn't share a yard. A little inherited country lore and a lot of cartoon films have reinforced this belief over the years. Maybe that's what's happening? - perhaps he has been bested, humbled, chucked out (see what I did there?). Maybe he is sulking up here, or feels he has taken possession of a new yard (without wives). Perhaps, like me, he is here because he is a hermit. Maybe he is just happy here.
Any suggestions on the psychology of poultry would be welcome. He isn't a problem at the moment (though sometimes he does get sworn at in the mornings), and I am sort of assuming he will go away later in the year, but I have no valid reason to think this. He is quite a big, impressive looking chap, to my unpractised eye anyway. I would rather have him as a friend than otherwise.
There is drinking water for him; I'm reluctant to start putting food out for him, in case all his relations arrive. Should we be doing anything for him?
Apparently, the psychology of fowl is a widespread area of study, just search online......
ReplyDeleteThis may help....
Trying to paste - hit "publish"
ReplyDeletehttps://bitchinchickens.com/2022/04/28/understanding-responding-to-rooster-behaviour/
We briefly had a pair of second hand rescue hens to indulge my wife's fantasy of self sufficiency.....
They were old, way past egg laying (I think there was one or two eggs), one bullied the other, the cat was terrified and intimidated by them. They ended up with red spider mite or something, which required dusting with expensive medical powder. I was drafted in to hold them (not a pleasant experience). After lots of expense, they promptly dropped down dead, one after the other.
I'd evict Mr Cogburn as soon as possible.....he'll only become more trouble than he's worth, especially doing alarm clock impressions! ☺☺
Neil
Thank you Neil, that is an interesting article. The general theme seems to take issue with the apparently widespread belief that cockerels are a waste of time and should be avoided. I am trying to avoid hearing any faint chimes of the prevalent cancel culture for males of all varieties (MAGA, for some reason, are excused), so I shall not mention this, even a little bit.
DeleteThe idea that roosters need understanding and sensitive handling is fine with me, though I just heard a terrible racket in the garden next door, from which I deduce that our extra cockerel may have had a serious go at my friend Andy - hopefully more thunder than lightning, but it sounded pretty wild. Certainly the language was unusually colourful for the Sabbath.