Boys Will Be Boys

Alyosha basking in the sun after his bath

"Your roosters are fighting again!"

I heard Colin's voice coming from the garden and rushed out to see what was happening. Sure enough, Ivan and Alyosha, the two roosters, with their hackles raised, were attacking each other viciously.

Ivan is the dominant rooster in-charge of the flock and Alyosha is always challenging him. This is not their first fight and I have already separated them in different pens. Yet Alyosha seems adamant to get himself killed. Although he is limping and not in the best condition, he still sneaks out of his pen on several occasions and fights with Ivan through the fence.

Unfortunately this time the gate was left open by accident. By the time I got to them, both roosters looked scruffy and somewhat bloody, their combs turning black from the brutal pecks. I promptly grabbed Alyosha by his feet and put him back in his pen.

I checked on Alyosha the following day and was relieved to see him walking around. However, his feathers looked stiff, probably due to the dried blood so I gave him a quick shower with the garden hose. He didn't seem to mind and just sat there on the ground, enjoying the sun. Ivan seemed alright, too, strutting around as usual and guarding his flock of hens with a watchful eye.

Many poultry owners cull, sell or give away their roosters. It is the easy solution. However, I am quite reluctant to get rid of Alyosha. His fighting spirit made him rather endearing to me.

Even when all the odds are stacked against him, he still keeps fighting. That is an admirable trait.

I guess he is just doing what a rooster naturally does, fulfilling his purpose here. Hopefully he can stay alive for a while longer. I really enjoy watching him take care of Molly the hen and her only chick, and the trio happily scratching around in the garden. Somehow it adds a touch of whimsical magic to the mundane everyday living.

If given a choice, I think Alyosha would prefer this option than to end up in a pot. Perhaps I may get a few more hens for him to lead and put an end to the fighting.