CROW, CHICKEN DUCK, CROW!

If you remember my earlier post, you'll know that our baby ducks as they grew would not swim in the pond.  Nor would the chickens roost on the rungs in their coop.  I'd asked the feed and seed store clerk, since the ducks wouldn't swim, and the chickens wouldn't roost, could I have a refund.

He just smiled and shrugged, "They can be dumb sometimes."

Well, there's more.  

I don't know who bred these 2-legged fowls but I'm sure there's been a fence jumper!

The neighbor's dog attacked our biggest and stately white rooster, so the only rooster left was the little red one that we separated once in a while to help it survive and grow.  Since he was bullied he kept himself in the midst of the ducks.  

Not good.

Chicklets and ducklings need parents from which to imprint.  We did not know this.

So, it was "a wonder to behold" when the 3 matured ducks would take off running as they flapped their wings, and then take to the air.  "Quack, quack, quack."  It was always 3 quacks.  And they're gone!  

But wait.  What did I just see???  Oh, good lands, I can't believe this!

The rooster had taken off running with them!  He flapped his wings virilely!  He was "running with the bulls"!  He...he...he slowed and stopped.  Alas, roosters can't fly.

Knowing he hadn't parents or imprinting, last month I loaded some youtube videos of roosters crowing, and went on a campaign of introducing him to them.  I'd prop my phone on the fence post and "cock-a-doodle-do" would reverberate in the yard.  He'd pause, periscope his head, cock and look left, cock and look right, to take it in.   One day he gave a little croak in the middle of the afternoon.  

Sheesh.  That's all we got.

This morning, as I came out of the bathroom, I heard a weird screeching sound.  We get strange sounds all the time.  Sometimes it's teenagers driving by on the highway with windows down and boom boxes rumbling our hill.  Sometimes it's arguing voices from the nearby campsite.  And once in a while we hear the next-door neighbors carrying on.  

When I heard this screeching this morning, my first thought was our renter had brought his kids with him and they were scampering about in the yard, but then my second thought was maybe sis had popped by with her dog and was giving him instructions, but none of those quite clicked.

Going to the window to see who was out there, I heard it again.  It was that dumb rooster!  Thank the Good Lord, he'd learned to crow!!!!

Yet, why did I say "dumb" rooster?  Because the sun wasn't up!  It was still pitch-black out there!  Sigh.

But, hey, he crowed!  He's getting the idea!  He's closer!  He's supposed to crow up the sun!  

Crow!

We'll hold off on that refund, the videos might be paying off.  He may be screeching, he may be a little early, but this is proof he's gonna get it right.  I'm grinning.  

Yay, our rooster cock-a-doodled-dood!