Dominance

I went out this afternoon to feed the chickens a loaf of old rye bread, and thoroughly enjoyed the cool weather and sounds of the country. There were birds chirping, guineas cackling at the barn, and happy chicken noises around me as they enjoyed the treat I had brought them.



So peaceful.

Then I collected MY treat... 18 today, which is average booty for these past couple weeks, and probably every week until the summer heat comes.



I started taking pictures of the birds, and, like always, the rooster, who is King of the Backyard, decided to challenge me. He really is a good rooster, always wary of visitors to the yard. When one of us walks outside, he is ON GUARD. Today, he exhibited his dominance with a lot of crowing and threatening. He was more than happy to perform for the camera, too.



Notice how he ruffles up his feathers and pretends to be pecking the ground, when he's really just watching you out of the corner of his eye, waiting for a ripe opportunity to sneak up from behind. He usually won't attack until he's sure you aren't looking, then he rushes up behind you and clamps onto your leg. That's why I'm always reluctant to go out in shorts.

He definitely knows when you're scared, too, and that's when he's ready for a face-to-face challenge. Not surprisingly, he doesn't terrorize Honey... just the rest of us.



And I said to him, "Do you know what happened to the LAST rooster that tried that? He went into the stew pot and kept my dumplings company! The sinkers AND the floaters!"

Okay, I didn't say that. I just ran in the house.

Whatever. I'll win next time, and I'LL be the one crowing!