by Meredith Chilson Once upon a time, a chicken hatched some eggs. Now, I understand that this happens all the time, but this time was different. The eggs belonged to another hen. They were adopted.
The mother hen was very happy to finally have a brood of her own. She was particularly fond of her roo-chick, letting him have the tastiest morsels first. He was even allowed to roost on her back, so that his feet would stay warm and he could have a good view of the world.
He had two sisters, but they were lower down in the …ah…pecking order. They shared their tasty morsels with him, and trailed along behind him as he cruised the brooder pen.
Days passed, and the young chicks grew feathers and were able to join the bigger flock in the chicken coop. The old hens didn’t much care for the youngsters—insisting that they learn the ropes and rules of the hen house: age determines roost position, lunch line position and even heading-back-into-the-coop-at-night position.
The chicks continued to grow. Percival Rooney (or Percy or just Rooney) grew tail feathers and a beautiful red comb and wattles. His feathers took on a lovely sheen—iridescent in just the right light, which he often could find by standing in a certain spot in the entrance of the coop. The hens began to look at him differently. And, truth be told, he began to look at them differently as well.
Rooney’s sisters became part of the flock. They (Yolk-o and On-No) still followed their big brother around the yard, calling out when they found a juicy fat bug he might like to try, and sleeping next to him on the roost –one on each side at first, and then as the older hens moved aside and made room for him higher up on the roost, the sisters protected him from below. And truth be told, Rooney began to look at his sisters a bit differently, too.
All seemed to be going well in the hen-plus-one-handsome-rooster house.
Until one night….
When an accident occurred…
Now, no chicken has confessed, and no one really knows what happened, but when morning rolled around and the lady who brings the food opened the door to the coop….Rooney was lying on the floor. He was able to get up, but he could not walk. He’s a heavy breed; maybe he fell from the roost. Or maybe…
We’ll never know for sure. What we do know is that his sisters were next to him on the floor, protecting him. They continued to stay next to his metal cage, when he was transferred to the “medical wing”. After it was determined that Rooney need more intensive care and he was moved to the Big House (not the one in the sky—the one where the lady who feeds the chickens lives), Yolk-O and Oh-No continued nestling next to the cage.
Rooney spent the cold winter in the much warmer mudroom of the Big House, in his own box full of shavings. He learned not to crow whenever the furnace came on or the phone rang. He announced all visitors and made friends with a little girl. (He did not make friends with the little girl’s dog, who attempted to lick his comb. Once.)
Rooney had no broken bones, but a bad sprain and possibly joint damage. The months of confinement in the small box helped his ligaments heal, as did occasional massage therapy in front of TV. Little by little, he began to hop around the mudroom, especially when the litter needed changing. Once his little home was clean again; he happily climbed back into the box.
Spring arrived and Rooney was returned (box and all) to the chicken coop. The old hens didn’t care much for that. Rooney tried to re-introduce himself to the ladies, but learned he must go through the whole rule-learning process again.
Chickens are funny though, aren’t they? The first morning after Rooney returned to the coop, when the lady who brings the food came in the door, his two sisters were snuggled next to him on the low roost….keeping him company, protecting him.
Now, it’s too early to tell if they will all live happily ever after, but maybe because his sisters were befriending him…or maybe just because of Rooney’s handsome tail feathers…the other hens seem to be looking at him a little bit differently.
10 Comments
What a wonderful story. Yes, I too am hoping for a happy ending. A well-told tale! 🙂 Thank you.
Nice story, hoping for a happy ending. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I too love roosters. I love o hear them crow, strut around and try to be boss man, but it seems I always seem to end up with the ornery ones and have to watch my backside!
Have you ever thought of writing children’s stories? YOU SHOULD!!!
Beautiful Roo ‘tale’
That was a cute, adorable story. You are a great story teller! I was chuckling all along the way, envisioning what you were sharing. I,too, love roosters. They are very special.
I absolutely LOVE roosters!! They are so special!! Thank you for a wonderful heart-warming story!!!
That was great! I hope all goes well for Rooney and his girls.
What a great story! Love it!
Loved this! I hope they can all live happily ever after….