At the time of this writing, I don’t think more than a few have ever had a friendly chat with Lucky.
Lucky is a new arrival here on the farm. Lucky is a self-winding alarm clock that came to us in a rather roundabout, unexpected way.
I had gone along for the ride with my son and a friendly neighbour who has a large, long hay wagon he pulled behind a truck. That appendage was needed because we were going to pick up quite a number of those mammoth spools that the miles of hydro lines come on. The reason for our pick-up was to assemble a large and high play area on which our small flock of sure-footed Boer goats love to play.
As I looked at the 20 or so mixed breed goats they had for sale, I saw an oddly-coloured rooster scamper across the yard in hot pursuit of a winged grasshopper.
Knowing from an earlier conversation they were selling all livestock, including cattle and horses, because they were moving from the farm, I casually asked how much for the rooster?
“Is ten dollars too much?” was the doubtful reply. Needless to say, after a 20-minute chase by three people much younger than me, I became the new owner of a rooster whose name just happened to be Lucky.
Lucky is of mixed parentage, is slightly larger than the standard barred rock and sports the many beautiful colours of the araucana breed, which is of South American heritage that lays pale blue eggs. If Lucky knew how lucky he was, I am sure he would not have run so fast.
You see, Lucky is going to be the King Tut of the 12 free-range hens that supply me with my breakfast eggs, which are poached and perched on my toast each and every morning.
Lucky is quite protective of his flock. He drove away the resident bantam rooster that runs loose in the barn picking up and eating the creepy-crawlies. He keeps one eye cocked shrewdly skyward and gives a particular peculiar call whenever a large bird, raven, turkey vulture, crow or hawk flies over.
He nearly went berserk the other morning as a large flock of Canada geese flew up and low over his domain from the field, where they were grazing, just back of the barn. He made several throat-clearing calls that sent the hens scampering to the shelter of the building.
I think Lucky is going to be a fun bird to have around.
By the way, folks, I think summer is over up here in this part of the country. We have not yet had frost, but the leaves have started to turn and I have seen several quite large flocks of geese flying over, practicing their V-shaped formation.
And I, too, have started to wear a jacket in the mornings.
Take care, ‘cause we care.
barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-986-4105