by Pa Rock
Farmer in Summer
Ralph, a young golden rooster, came to live on my little farm three weeks ago yesterday. I found Ralph at a roadside poultry swap meet where his young owner had stuffed him inside of a parakeet cage. I bought Ralph out of a sense of rescue and brought him back to the farm where I set him free.
When Ralph arrived at the farm I had baby guineas and banty chicks that were still acclimating inside of the makeshift little brooder house that is part of the chicken coop. At first Ralph didn't have access to the babies, but he could hear them cheeping. A couple of days later I turned the little ones out into a an outdoor, fenced-in coop during the days, and Ralph took up a permanent patrol on the other side of the wire - carefully watching after his babies. Then a few days after that I turned the chicks outside during the days, and Ralph immediately strutted in and took charge.
A few of the chicks had died when they were in the brooder house, but there were eighteen survivors on the day I turned them out. Today, a couple of weeks following their emancipation, there are still eighteen. Ralph has done a very good job of looking after his wards.
Poultry that are free to roam during the days will usually stay in a group and work their area as a route, going in roughly the same pattern each day. I let Ralph and the little ones out each morning just after daylight. There are feeders and waterers set up around the coop, and they begin their day gossiping over breakfast at the feeders. Then, as if on cue, they head out running and flying - as a group - for an ancient rose-of-sharon bush that sits about twenty feet in front of the coop. Next they jump over to the storage buildings and scratch around their perimeters looking for bugs and other good things to snack on. From there they proceed to a large cedar tree - and then to another - before finally circling and working in close to the big propane tank. After that it's back to the coop for rest and a little brunch, and then they begin the route again.
Sometimes Ralph leads the chicks from stop to stop, and sometimes they lead him. They rush across open areas while Ralph carefully scans the sky for hawks, and then spend most of their time scratching beneath trees and other cover in the never-ending search for ticks, chiggers, and other tasty morsels.
So Big Daddy Ralph, a noble bird who was once humiliated by being stuffed into a parakeet cage, is now happy in his new home with his new family where he truly has become King of the Roost! Ralph has plenty to crow about, and we are all happy that he is here - especially his kids!
2 comments:
For the lack of a "like" button, I hereby proclaim that I like this post.
I don't know how many of the chicks are chickens and how many are guineas. I find it interesting that some animals can bridge the species gap so easily. They have obviously melded socially.
The species gap is not always so great as might be assumed. Many species hybridize with other close species. Tigers/lions, bison/cattle, grizzlies/polar bears, and various species of ducks can successfully interbreed. Most of that occurs in captivity but occasionally in nature under stress. Given the recent evolutionary separation of grizzlies and polar bears, we'll probably see a higher percentage of pizzlies as polar ice melts.
Another interesting aspect is the mix. For instance, a jack and a mare will yield a mule hybrid but a stallion and a jenny produces a hinny, a hybrid with an entirely different temperament than a mule and it will not be a good draft animal. Guinea fowl and chickens "will on rare occasions actually result in a hybrid guin-hen (generally a male guinea fowl with a female chicken has the highest chance of survival and hatching)." Quote from https://poultryowner.com/can-chickens-and-guinea-fowl-be-kept-together/
Rock, please report on any sexual behavior that Ralph (or roosters of the new generation) might display towards the guinea hens as they mature. Oh, and if there is any successful breeding, the offspring will be sterile so you won't be having a whole flock of breeding guin-hens. Too bad.
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