Much Ado About Roos!

Well, it's finally happened.

After nearly two years,

all of the Roos have found the hens.

Let me "recap" for you....

Two summers ago, I bought a dozen Ameraucana chicks...

a "straight run" as they call it....unsexed.

Well, the odds were not in my favor and 6 of the twelve turned out to be Roos.

Those six roosters were named Number 1, Number 2, and so on.

Because we did not want to stress our hens with too much testosterone,

we kept the Roos in a house close to the farmhouse...

with quite a distance separating them from the hens.

Last summer, crafty ole Rooster Number 6 made his way through the blackberry patch,

across the orchard to the other side of the woods and found "love"

at the barn.  Before long he brought his buddy Number 5 with him

and they both moved into the barnyard henhouse.

Each morning Rod Stewart (lord and master of that henhouse) 

and his manservant, Henri, chase Number 5 and 6 out of the henhouse and into the barnyard.

There, they spend their days wooing the ladies and avoiding Rod and Henri.

But each night, 5 and 6 return to Rod and Henri's henhouse to sleep.

Lately, Numbers 1,2,3 and 4 have been seen making the trek to the barn

to fraternize with the ladies.

They don't stay, however.

At least they didn't until.....

Sunday morning on my way to do the early AM chores,

I opened the door to the Roos' house to let them out.

Out ran Numbers 1,2 and 3.

But no Number 4.

Where was number 4?

Did he fall prey to a fox, or a hawk? (After all, it's that time of year again.)

Wondering...I made my way to the barn and

 opened the door to the barnyard henhouse.

And who did I see?

Yep...there he was, hiding in the corner...

waiting for the other roosters to exit.

Number 4 had defected. 

And when he jumped down into the yard,

Rod Stewart was there to chase him away!

Rod made it a point to let ole Number 4 know that those hens were his and off limits!

During the day there were several battles between roosters...

none of them serious.

The funny thing is...

at night they will all return to the same henhouse to sleep.

And every morning the same drama will unfold.

Some things just never change!

And I am half expecting to some morning open the barnyard henhouse

to find 8 roosters sleeping over.

At that point we might just have to consider chicken pot pie!

(This hen would be swinging from the chandler if we had one in the barn.)

Here is my advice to you...

If you are thinking of having a few backyard chickens...

do it!

Always buy hens...skip the roosters....they are more trouble than they are worth.

That is, unless you live in an area where no one will be bothered by

the every morning "cock a doodle do"..

in which case I would highly recommend you get just one rooster.

Never buy chicks by the "straight run"....you have a 50% chance of getting

multiple roosters....

and that means multiple troubles!!