Just Biding His Time

I think the rooster below is a pretty rooster.  He was given to us by our neighbor.  You might call him a "rescue rooster."  Our neighbor was moving out of their house down the road and was giving away a bunch of chickens and geese.  They asked if we were interested and well, who is not interested in a bunch of free chickens?

I really wasn't interested in the ducks.  Ducks make a mess.  Their eggs are delicious and higher in protein, but I don't want a mud hole in the pasture.  We have a big dog kennel that we loaded up behind the truck along with a net and made a short drive to their house.  We ran around and chased all sorts of birds.  We ended up catching a few that we wanted and took them home.

If you look at the rooster with a critical eye, I think you'll see the following.  First, he has a bright red comb and looks healthy.  He also has pretty, iridescent feathers.  He is big and has long, sharp spurs on his ankles.  You see 'em?  Those are weapons!

In looking at those attributes, you'd think that he is the cock of the walk and at the very top of the food chain in the chicken yard.  But you'd be mistaken.  If you look a hair closer at the first photo, his neck is hunched over a little bit.  That's because he has been beaten up and been humbled in a fight.  He knows his place in the pecking order and it is not the top.  Other roosters have fought for and won that position.

This guy struts, albeit humbly, in the pasture with a keen eye out for his rivals.  When he sees a mate, he quickly goes about his "roosterly" duties and runs away before another rooster sees him.  There's no real romance to speak of.  He knows that if the other rooster caught him with a hen, there would be a high price to pay.

So the rooster bides his time.  Waiting.  One day, the chief rooster will die or be killed.  At that time there will be another fight and challenge for the top spot - a new shuffling of the deck that brings about a new pecking order.  Perhaps this guy will win.  His posture will improve and he will be the leader of all the hens and roosters in the hen house.  He'll arise early and be the first to crow.  Life will be good.  He'll be the King!

For a while.  Enjoy it while you can.  There's always someone out there younger, smarter, faster, stronger, ready to take your spot.