Y’all remember the speckled hen’s two beaus, Hoss and Adam? Well, in this love triangle, Hoss won the lady, and Adam was pretty pitiful. He hung out with the lovebirds for a while, but as you might imagine, such a majestic bird wouldn’t want to be an awkwardly wonky third wheel for long.
After leaving the honeymooner’s domain of the barn and the horse pasture, Adam spent some time following the chicken collective around the chicken yard and the swamp. He stayed at a distance because the other roosters weren’t a hundred percent hospitable. But eventually, he won his place in the flock, even if that place is still somewhat on the edges.
Meanwhile, we’ve had several broody hens who decided that sitting on a nest in a closed-up coop was preferable to being chased around by randy roosters all day long. These hens aren’t as motherly as many I’ve seen. This lot was only hatching babies to escape the attention of the spring-fevered males. So as soon as the chicks grew big enough to fly the coop, the mother hens said good riddance and went back to rejoin the collective. They had a nice vacation, but they couldn’t wait to go back to looking for love in all the wrong places.
Chicken mamas can be wonderful and devoted caregivers. But this bunch is annoyingly lax in their childcare ethic. I can be sitting here at my computer and hear through the closed window a baby chick hollering in distress because it feels lost and needs help. The baby chick’s mama couldn’t give a toss because she’s done her part and she’s ready to reclaim her place as a bully rooster’s favorite.
But Adam, the sweeter, kinder rooster, knows what it’s like to be left behind and wondering what to do. He has taken charge of all six chicks who’ve been orphaned by hens who just can’t be bothered. Whenever one of those babies starts wailing, Adam comes back to show them that they’re not as far away from safety as they thought they were.
I praised him for helping those babies when their mothers wouldn’t. His response: They’re my babies now. The verbal response came along with a big hit of knowing: This is his flock. It will be a younger, fitter flock than the one he’s following now. And those babies will have babies, and wham-bam, he’s on the way to becoming the King of Chickens here at Dragonfly Pond Farm.
All hail to Adam, the King of Chickens. He has been patient, but also determined and steady in pursuing his course of action. If Adam the rooster were a human, I’d buy stock in his company. This all makes me think about when successful people are asked who inspired them on their path to greatness. If I ever achieve greatness and someone asks me that question, I hope I remember to mention Adam, a paragon of persistence.
He didn’t get all butt-hurt and resentful when his brother claimed the hen they both loved. He just accepted the verdict and moved on. He didn’t get all anxious and aggressive when the established flock didn’t immediately accept him. He just kept following along and doing his part to protect the group. Life gave him lemons, and he didn’t just make lemonade— he’s working on creating a pretty awesome lemon meringue pie. And if he ever reincarnates as a human, I’ll buy stock in his company.
