TheBanyanTree: Killer

[NancyIee at aol.com]

The new place, the farm, is becoming nicely populated with farm critters.  We 
have our miniature horses, of various ages, sizes, colors, two of them 
recently foaled.  We went to an auction of "small animals" , (as opposed to the  
large animal one where you can bid on cows and camels and such) and bought a pair 
of ducks, a small cage crammed with tiny chicks, a pair of goats, mother and 
son, and .. of course one full grown and magnificent rooster. One can't live 
on a farm, after all, without a morning rooster to crow. We had heard him 
crowing at the auction house, and it rang clear and melodious over all the other 
sounds.

The fellow is a giant black, his feathering so black they appear irridescent 
green in certain light. A gorgeous being and full of himself. He crowed, a 
wonderful aria, and we were happy with our selection.Upon arriving home from the 
auction, I turned him loose and settled the other critters in their quarters. 
I made sure they all had food and water, and stood back to view our new 
"family".

That's when the rooster attacked. His feathers ruffled up, and he  leaped at 
me with his spurs, raking my leg. I was glad I was wearing my sturdy blue 
jeans.

"Back off," I told him, but he wasn't about to listen to that, and attacked 
again. My housemate laughed nervously.

"I can see why he was at the auction," my friend said, retreating to the 
other side of the pasture fence as I fended off the persistant rooster. The fellow 
sneaked around behind me and leaped again. It wasn't funny. I fended him off 
with a handy length of PCV pipe and also retreated out of the barn yard.

He attacked me, or ay other human "intruder" every time we ventured into the 
barn yard. I finally had to wait until night, grab the rooster as he slept, 
and put him back into the small auction cage. He stayed there another day until 
I finally put him into the goat pen, which is secure enough. Our goats, the 
new ones we got at the auction, plus Billy, Flash, and Millie, ones we already 
had, seemed safe from the killer rooster.  In fact, Billy quickly put him in 
his place when he dared investigate the goat's food.  The big black bird sought 
refuge under the platform the goats climb upon.

So far, the goats seem to be handling the killer without any proble,. Still, 
every time I go into the goat pen to feed, water, or clean, the rooster darts 
out from under the platform to take another swipe at me. I wonder about the 
possibility of cutting off those lethal spurs, those which make the fighting 
cocks so deadly. 

But, "Killer" does crow so effeciently and loudly at dawn, and throughout the 
day whenever he wants to asert his manhood. And whenever the goats let him 
out from under the platform.

Never a dull moment around here.