I'm not fond of matchmaking, but like it or not, it is a part of my duty. Of our 31 chickens, 22 hens are counting on me to make a good decision. That means there are 9 little cockrals in the draft pick this year. We will be selecting two.
Goals and criteria: To create a flock whose offspring will help fill our freezer. We're as of yet, not concerned with growth rate. The king's harem will consist of some good dual purpose gals including Orpingtons, Marans, Delawares and Cornish. We are also looking for a Roo who will protect his flock
and pose no threat to we humans. A flogging roo is dangerous. We went through 3 aggressive roos before we found a good one; they helped shaped the policy on our farm -Ya get two shots at us. First one is "an oops". Second one is confirmation. Crock pot fodder.
Before we introduce this year's line up of competitors, we pay homage to our late great Rooster, Omar Krugerrand, may he rest in peace. (What else do you name a Gold Lace Wyndotte?)
Krug was a wonderful flock leader and protector. Twice I witnessed him spring into action to move his harem under cover as an American Bald Eagle glided a mere 40 feet above looking for a good early bird special. Impressive.
Unfortunately, Krug was sterile. Not a swimmer in the league. Each time a hen would go broody, I'd have to buy fertile eggs from the fancier up the road. (Some of those foster babies are now in this year's running!) Sadly, Krug met his match this past summer in a tangle with a raccoon. I imagine he went down just as he'd wished to, protecting his girls. We found evidence splashed all over that chicken yard of the battle that occurred that night ...but not a single hen was harmed.
"RIP Omar Krugerrand".
And so, with no further ado, here are this year's top 5 contenders:
# 1 - Salt & Pepper.
We have no idea what this bloak is made of, but he's colloassal! Due to sheer size, he's taken over the throne for now. He's not particularly popular with the gals however, (especially our petite little bantams), but he has tremendous size to offer. He's a deep, throaty baritone with quite a bellow. I've never seen a study comparing carcass weight to depth of voice. If he doesn't make the cut, I may start one.
# 2 Razzle Dazzle Boy, a.k.a.Black Beard
Quite the looker, this Americana/Gold Lace Wyandotte X has surprised us by showing his devotion to his girls by finding food for them. When he stumbles upon some delectable, he clucks to bring attention, then repeatedly picks it up and drops the morsel again to show the gals what he's found. Unfortunately, they treat him like a wet food stamp, and just walk on by. This could be because he has no appreciable skills at romance. To maintain our PG rating, we'll forgo the details, but suffice to say that so far, his courtship dance consists of chasing the poor girl around the yard until it all ends with a flutter of feathers and some 'fowl' expletives.
# 3 - State & Main
At less than 6 months this Langshan/Maran X already has an amazing story of endurance and triumph. Look closely again at that picture. Notice that he's missing a wing? State & Main incurred a major injury as a chick, but he survived just the same. Unfortunately his disability has affected his self esteem. He's bullied by the other cockerals a lot, but the girls still follow him around perhaps because he's less of a threat. Despite being physically challenged, he has demonstrated his ability to breed, but frankly he's much more gentle about it, and therefore, quite the playboy. Go S& M!
# 4 - Stilts Boston
"Stilts" is an Americana /Langshan X. He's young and not quite filled out, but as you can see, he's all leg. Aloof and hard to photograph, he gets less play with the ladies since he usually avoids confrontation. If there's a cock fight, he's seldom in it. A good temper is a good sign. He also has a sweet, sustained tenor crow which has to count for something cause lets face it - I'm going to have to listen to it A LOT! His greatest distinguishing attribute are those incredible drum sticks, which genetically means that (hopefully), crossed over a meaty little hen, that's a lot of leg to fill! Although, as one friend commented, "That's what turkeys are for".
# 5 - "Soupy"
Most hatcheries guarantee that a sexed batch of "pullets" is 99% accurate. Prized for their beauty,
female Blue Laced Red Wyandottes are therefore typically sexed and separated before shipping (with the one caveate). Soupy was that one percent. Instead of developing the lovely lacing, he started crowing instead. He wouldn't have been in the line up at all except for his most notable act of heroism. One morning a red tailed hawk flew into view and perched in a tree to observe. While all of the other cockerals were busy fighting or scratching, Soupy took notice,sounded the alert and shuffled a group of hens under cover along with two idiot guineas. While he's shown remarkable valor, Soupy will unfortunately never impress with his size and therefore may never outlive his name. Below he's pictured with his female counterpart. You can see, he's not much bigger.
It's tough to be born a male on a farm since truthfully, we only need one. Culling is hard, but mandatory. The selection process is part of the agony, not only because of the losers who never get a chance, but because 'a good roo is hard to find'.
Got a favorite? The polls are now open.
