SUNDAY STORY TIME: Meet Happy Birthday! A couple of months ago we were asked to take in two ‘bonded’ roosters from a lovely lady who could no longer keep them, but who loved them both. Yes, we said. They arrived and being full up, for a few days we crated them in our carport, before releasing to free range and roam the farm at leisure. They had no names. One morning as I was inside, I heard a loud crow as clear as day sing out “Happy Birthdaaaay!” In my head I mentally finished the line with “to you!”. And so it stuck. For some reason every time the big white rooster crowed, I would finish off by singing… “to yooou!” each time. It became annoying, but I could not shift it as this handsome white rooster sang it in perfect Happy Birthday pitch, exactly as you would sing the song. After a couple of days of being picked up and cuddled etc, I thought it was soon time to release them, and they had been confined long enough to trust us, get used to the sounds and smells of the farm, and had seen other roosters come and go etc. On the third day, early morning I noticed that the rooster was crowing more often than usual. I was sad that the barred black and white boy wasn’t crowing, and wondered if maybe being such close friends one rooster did the crowing for both of them? This is possible, and does happen. The crowing intensified and happened more often, and I would at all sorts of times during the early morning find myself finishing off the same line of the song and still singing out “to yooou!” in my head or out loud. I even found myself doing it in the shower! I made up my mind it was time to let them both go, and hopefully they would roam freely and be too far away for me to clearly detect their crowing. Even Charlea and my husband would ask “would you stop doing that!” “Doing what?” I would reply. “Every time that rooster crows you finish it off, and now we are doing it!” said Charlea. I contacted their previous owner and asked again if they have names, and if not I was going to call the white one Happy Birthday, and explained why etc. And so it continued each day, and then one day I was putting some food out for them and I heard it again… “Happy Birthdaaay!” But this time it was NOT the big white rooster singing, it was the other one! Oh no way! They BOTH have exactly the same crow! No wonder I thought he was crowing more often, but he wasn’t! Instead the other one was now relaxed enough to crow and this was why I thought the white one was singing more… it was the two of them who were driving me insane with the SAME pitch of the Happy Birthday song. I was doomed. I wondered if there was such a thing as ‘human abuse’ as these two were going to drive me nuts! I told my revelation to hubby and Charlea, and both sighed. Yes for nearly a week I had been finishing off their crowing and driving everyone bonkers. I went out and sat on the hay bales and looked at them both. I opened their crate and picked both up and sat them on my lap. They were so tame, and looked at me so trusting. In a soft voice I told them “Hey guys.. I love you to bits and you can have a home here for life, but please.. less of the crowing, or only when you’re away from the house.” Did they understand? Who knows… but I carried them up to the top of the farm and set them on the ground to be free and meet the other free ranging boys here. A few little tussles ensued, but I watched patiently while they sorted out their pecking order. All over and done with very quickly, and the white rooster then let out a commanding “Happy Birthdaaaay!” He was the victor… and happily they strutted off side by side. They have never been apart, and to this day I still see them walking very closely side by side as they march around the farm, and just enjoy being free and safe, ‘free ranging’ on the farm. So, I have now named the white rooster ‘Happy’ and his best friend the barred rock is ‘Birthday’. Their bond is special, and I feel they will be lifelong friends, and doubt anyone would ever adopt these two boys together. So they stay here, and yes I still sometimes sing out “To Yoooou!” I know every single rooster here by his crow, and I still cannot tell these two apart. Very unique, and I love them to bits. So if you ever visit and I subconsciously sing out during conversation, it is because somewhere on the farm Happy or Birthday has crowed, and I have replied without realising it. Yes, these two have almost driven me insane… but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 00:38:59 +0000
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