The New Rooster

My little flock of chickens has been without a rooster for almost two months now … but not anymore! This weekend my son and I happened past Sonja and Greg Oakes’ farm outside Elora, Ontario and we dropped by to see if there was a chance of remedying the situation. After a tour of the farm, Greg decided he had the perfect bird for us and shortly thereafter we left happy with our new recruit.

I love having a rooster about my studio. They seem to me to be the quintessential bird of unacceptable male behaviour in our modern society—being chauvinistic, unproductive, and loud about it. The hens of my flock quietly move about throughout the day, and provide the eggs I need for both my art and my family. They are industrious whether looking for food or caring for their young.

Not so the rooster. He announces the new day at a decimal that makes sure everyone knows it’s time to get up in his opinion and spends the rest of the day strutting about the yard, “keeping the hens happy” (I won’t go more into detail here …). He cannot imagine not being dominate. And if the unthinkable situation was to occur where another rooster appeared, he will fight on mindlessly until severe injuries result, as I sadly found out many years ago.

And yet, I love having a rooster around. I don’t know why I find such joy in his life, but the brash, self-assurance of such an animal makes me grin.

This particular bird is the most beautiful rooster I’ve had. At only 6 months, he’s already gigantic with a beautiful form. While I haven’t heard him crow yet (… and I can’t wait!), around the enclosure he’s already singing in the form of a deep, resonant drumming. For some reason, whenever he I hear him do this, my impression is that he’s talking to himself as he ponders his mind.  For all his size, he’s not aggressive and seems good natured.

My only problem is that I don’t have a name for him yet … Any suggestions?