Celebrate the third day of Christmas with me, if you don't mind the gift of two roosters instead of three French hens. The roosters were intended to be laying hens by my daughter and her family, but the donors made it clear that they guaranteed nothing when they gave away the chicks. By the time the family found out both chicks were roosters, they had fallen in love.
The roosters compete with each other to eat the dog's food. It's obvious that the birds are familiar with humans, because they are gentle. The pictures do a poor job of showing off their handsome colors.
There were humans at the Christmas gathering, too, but everyone was entranced by the birds.
We were under a tornado warning all afternoon, but, although it rained some, and strong winds blew, and scary-looking low clouds were all around, the weather never became dangerous.
I feel like it should be one of your regular gay male readers, Mimi, who should remark about Christmas Cocks. ;-X
ReplyDeleteIs that how you feel, JCF?
DeleteWe have some absolutely beautiful wild roosters and hens in our neighborhood - gorgeous feathers. They leave the neighborhood pets alone and vice versa. The real challenge is when a couple moves in with young adolescents, trying to convey to said young adolescents why trying to corner and catch a wild rooster is a really bad idea before major blood and/or eye loss. Watching young turks go strolling up to the wild geese at a local pond to scare them is just fun, though - the cries of "Oh, God! Get it away! Ow!" provide much amusement in the migration season.
ReplyDeleteMark, my daughter has two dogs and two cats besides the roosters, and everybody seems to get along. The human males were holding the roosters, but the birds are large, so I didn't try.
DeleteWell, domesticated roosters are way different. I didn't notice their spurs in the photos, but the wild ones around us have huge spurs, and I've seen them jump about head high. They are brave little guys, too.
DeleteMark the roosters are still young, with only bumps for spurs, though I believe the family had a rooster for some years once before, and he was fine as a pet.
DeleteMy English wife used to warn me to stay away from graceful-looking swans -- they can break your leg with a wing. When I was three and living on an Oklahoma farm, we had a big white rooster who would attack me to steal the red cap off my head. In third grade, I had pet hen briefly in the city. At Hillspeak in Arkansas, one rooster seemed to be enough in the flock of chickens we kept. Two would fight. Maybe two roosters raised together will bond as brothers.
ReplyDeleteI guess the family will know soon whether the roosters will get along and stay tame. My daughter and the boys will be disappointed if things don't work out, because they're quite fond of the birds.
DeleteThey're very beautiful birdies - lovely glossy feathers. Shame they won't be laying any eggs though. I love the idea of fresh eggs in the morning for breakfast. Also, if the family did acquire a hen now they would probably fight over her :(
ReplyDeleteA hen now would not be a good idea. The roosters might fight, and the poor hen would be bothered constantly. A raccoon in the neighborhood killed their last two hens, so Alison made the chicken coop and run more secure, and now the chicks turn out to be roosters. She's lucky no one in the neighborhood complains about the crowing.
DeleteNot sure I would be too keen on the crowing myself - being woken at the crack of dawn not being my idea of fun :) Still, they are very handsome critters.
ReplyDelete