Battle Chicken

Well, our roosters (and hens too) were getting pecked to death by each other, so Ryan decided to let our rooster roam our horse corrals and the barn area. This has turned out to be quite entertaining for me. First of all, call me a city girl if you want, but I just think it is so funny/interesting that the thing just is content to strut around our back property all day long. He stays within the property (with the exception of two days ago when he went a-calling over to the ladies in the chicken coop). For a few hours at least, he paced back and forth in front of the window. Anyway. The first night he was out, Ryan said that Maisey was sleeping on the barn floor and the rooster had stolen her bed (up on the haystack--its a Maisey-sized burrow she's dug out for herself. . . ) So, I had to check it out for myself. (Okay, really lame here) So I went outside, in the cold, with a flashlight, at 11PM and there was Maisey curled up in the middle of the garden and yep, you guessed it, the rooster was cozily squatting away up on the haystack.

But, sadly, it hasn't been all fun and games. This crazy rooster likes to intimidate Annie and Carson. It chased Annie twice before her dad and Dennis taught her how to assert herself with the barn animals. It involves an uber-confident persona and a long stick. She's learning quickly. Carson, on the other hand, is utterly defenseless. The rooster had him down on the ground and had backed up and rammed him twice before Mr. Droubay reached him. It did not go well for the rooster. Then, today, the rooster was crowing and I crowed back, just to amuse myself. He ignored me. I walked away and heard him chasing me. We had a chat about that.

Then, Ryan decided to rope the chicken. I happened to have a camera and preserved the moment for all to enjoy:



So, yesterday, Annie and I were discussing the rooster and I said it was time to name him. She has been wanting to name the baby "Nemo" for about two weeks now, so I suggested that this might be a better name for the rooster than for the baby. Oh no, she said. The baby was now going to be named "T-Rex" and the rooster's name was "Battle Chicken."

Battle Chicken? nice.

So, thus concludes the anecdote regarding Battle Chicken. It has it all: suspense, humor, violence, triumph, and perhaps a smidgeon of boredom for the reader.

Thank you for your attention.