He Was Mean, So We Ate Him...

I truly believe that God created birds just for me, because I absolutely love watching them! They are like candy to my soul. It's amazing how they are able to fly with the wind, search for prey high above the land, have that wise yet intimidating look in their almond shaped eyes, stand watch for hours at a time, and have the most beautiful feathers on their body....I could go on and on. They are wonderfully fascinating creatures. I really hope you, my sweet readers, remember how much I love birds while you read this post and don't judge me too swiftly.

Gabe carrying Woody

My favorite birds are owls, hands down. They are beautiful and impressive hunters, and every time I see one flying around in the woods or hear their eerie voices in the middle of the night, they absolutely take my breath away. I've been collecting owls most of my life and have one in each room of my house. My second favorite bird, you'll never guess (haha), is the rooster. I've had four roosters in my life, Clifford (the big red rooster), Wilma (I thought he was a she), Woody (he loved me so much, it showed), and Hulk (he had a bunch of green feathers and was fearsome). My current rooster is Clifford who is a baby and doesn't realize his sugar daddy status yet. When he crows, he sounds like an old man hacking and coughing....but he's a teenager, I'm quite sure his crow will become deeper and more manly soon.

RIP Wilma, The Sweetest Rooster We've Had

Roosters are an extremely important part of every flock, especially if the flock free ranges everyday (free ranging means the chickens roam around the yard without being fenced into the coop). When I lost my first two chickens in a raccoon incident a couple years ago, the advice given to me by other chicken lovers was to get a rooster. Why? The rooster's only job is to impregnate the girls and to protect the flock. AND, they take their job VERY seriously. This past February, my rooster Wilma, laid down his life to protect his girls against a raccoon. He was the only life lost. While he was fighting the raccoon, the girls were able to run away to hide in bushes or race back to the coop. It took me awhile to find his beautiful golden feathers sprawled everywhere in the woods, but I could tell he put up the best fight. He was bravely eaten while protecting his ladies, which is such a romantic way to go....even if he was just a bird!

Because of their instinct to protect the flock, roosters are always searching the sky, the trees, all around their yard in search of anything that will kill the girls. Hens peck around the yard without a worry, wandering aimlessly in search of bugs and worms until that moment when the rooster alerts them with an unusual movement or sound, then they use their rooster sonar and flee for cover as soon as possible. Roosters are the ultimate type of bodyguard.

Hulk

Hulk was my very first rooster. I got him from another chicken farmer who had too many roosters in her flock. He was absolutely beautiful! He had green, brown, and white speckled feathers, and in the sunlight, his feathers changed into different colors. Hulk loved his girls and the girls loved him. They followed him around the yard and did whatever he asked without hesitation. Because of him, I still have all his girls alive and kicking to this day, he didn't let anything near them during his watch.....including me, my husband, and my kiddos. Anytime we stepped foot outside our front door, Hulk came stampeding at us with ruffled feathers. We stacked shovels and brooms outside our door to protect ourselves when we wanted to play outside or do our chores. He got bopped in the head more times than I can count, but it never stopped him from trying to wipe us out.

Roosters have sharp spurs at the back of their feet that serve as their weapon when they are defending their flock. Hulk used his spurs on the back of my oldest son, Brock, just one time before I made the ultimate decision. Hulk would have to die. I love animals, I have a passion for animals, but any animal that attacks my kids cannot stay and cannot be handed over to another family for future attacks. I did everything in my power to convert Hulk from a meanie to a sweetie, but he wasn't interested in my treats or my voice, he was out for blood.

Hulk Chicken Soup....GAG!!!!!

We got chickens are the beginning of the pandemic in hopes of being able to have food when the grocery stores were running out of supplies (remember the toilet paper crisis?). When I chose to get rid of Hulk, we decided to have a "live off the land" moment, and just like the Indians, we were going to make every bit of Hulk count....we were going to cook and eat our first chicken. It was a huge learning curve! A hunter friend came over to give my hubby, Mike, a lesson on the whole butchering process including slitting the neck, plucking the feathers, and taking the meat off the bones. The only thing he didn't cover was the cooking process.

Most chickens are generally butchered when they are between six to eight weeks old. The younger the chicken, the better as far as eats go. Hulk was ten months old when he met his doom. His free ranging, wild meat was tougher than leather. Mike made Hulk into a chicken soup the same night he was butchered. To say Hulk was as disgusting to digest as he was terrifying to be around is an understatement. Mike, the kids, and I ate Hulk with some sort of "what goes around, comes around" attitude....like, Hulk, this is the ULTIMATE karma for a ruthless rooster who preys on innocent folk. We also ate Hulk thinking, I'm going to throw him up, I'm going to throw him up, I can't believe he tastes this awful, I can't believe I'm eating him, I'm going to throw up!

I still feel a bit guilty about condemning Hulk to death and eating him. He was the first animal I've ever decided to kill. As an absolute animal lover, this was an extremely life changing event for me. He wasn't sick, he wasn't close to death, he was just plain mean. Hulk was an exceptionally good rooster to his ladies. I was so appreciative of him keeping them safe and warm during my first winter having chickens. I decided to keep Hulk around my house in the only way that wouldn't torment my family, in a feathered heart that not only hangs on a wall in my house, but is also placed on the front page of my website. Even though Hulk and I were not a match made in heaven, he is one of the reasons why I will always have a rooster as a part of my flock. They are birdie heros, and instead of a cape, they are armed with a set of beautiful tail feathers.

Clifford

So my new, sweet, baby rooster Clifford, stay nice or I might eat you,,,,but know I love you no matter what.

Thanks for reading my Country Squawk,

Kelly