The Newbie

Isn't he a beauty? Allow me to introduce Buddy, our new Plymouth Barred Rock cockerel. He was dropped off by persons unknown at my neighbor's house a few evenings ago, poor fellow. My neighbor brought him to us to determine if he might be a good fit for the flock, and, since we had been considering acquiring a youngish roo (one that wouldn't challenge our alpha male), we took him in. Stonewall, our adult rooster, is teetering upon the brink of exhaustion in his zeal to keep up with twenty-four ladies who seemingly have minds of their own. A junior cadet might be just the ticket...as long as he keeps to his rank, that is.

He spent a couple of nights sequestered in a cage, away from the others, and DH let him out today after the others had had a chance to inspect him (he really should have been quarantined for 30 days, but DH made the call). Stonewall immediately stepped between the interloper and his girls, dropped a wing, circled and pushed him to the edge of the group, assisted by a couple of indignant ladies who flew at Buddy for good measure. Buddy wandered away, cooperative, if a bit lost.

This went on for the greater part of the afternoon. The two males did not fight, and I was frankly (and quite pleasantly) surprised, but Stonewall did keep a sharp eye on the newcomer, broke up spats, prevented any romantic, er, interludes from taking place (not that the ladies were entertaining overtures), and generally kept order in the yard. Impressive achievements for a creature almost universally disdained as stupid. (Chickens aren't stupid, by the way. They are charming. And very good at being exactly what they were created to be.)

Buddy exploring his surroundings:

He had cautiously re-approached the far orbit of the flock by evening and, upon finding that he was, by then, huffily tolerated by most of the ladies and the celestial ego object Stonewall himself, he happily pecked around the coop before retiring for the night.