The Color Of War

It doesn't happen too often...but, when it does, it can be gruesome.
I am referring to the ugliness that can come from a territory dispute...this time, it was two roosters. The rooster named Jet has grown a lot recently. He is starting to become huge. I found him standing over another rooster and both were covered in blood. The rooster fights aren't too common around here. There is plenty of space and the 'pecking order' is usually determined with no injury. Whenever there is a fight, there is usually enough noise for me to hear it and go break it up. On Saturday, I was not so lucky. I never knew they were fighting. When I found them, I thought one rooster was dead. I picked him up and he was limp...and blood poured out of his mouth. I ran cold water over his head and he was jolted back to life. Since then, he has been very slow in recovering. He is still in very bad condition. The good news is that the injuries are healing. He can open one eye a little bit. He can drink water...but, he can't eat yet...and best of all, he just crowed for the first time since the fight. That is always a good sign.
I wanted to get this blog back up to speed. There is a lot more stuff happening. Hopefully, we will be back to peace and happiness with the roosters and chickens...I hate it when they fight.

This is Jet...after the fight

Most of the blood is not his own

His legs are pink with blood....
normally, they are dark green.

Jet has grown a lot...and now he's becoming aggressive...

The young challenger is lucky to be alive...

Lots of dirt, blood and bruises

This eye is still swollen shut...

This eye is already opened(after two days)

The color of Winter...

Yes, I am guilty of neglecting this blog!
Since the loss of Tuffy, my sadness has been like a huge bag of sand that I carry around. I can't believe how much I miss him. I know that Tuffy is watching over me...and he knows that he was the inspiration for so many things that I do. My love for roosters was really his doing...he was so different from his father...I have plans to keep going forever with my birds...
Yesterday, I finally felt motivated enough to start the next rooster project. I need more chicken coop space and I have been planning to extend the existing coop...so I started clearing the space...I had a lumber pile that needed to be moved. I haven't even seen any lizards yet...it's still too cold...so, you can imagine the surprise I had when this guy was next to my feet. Thankfully, he was very sluggish...I relocated him to a safe haven.
Summer's coming!!!

The Cycle Repeats...The End...The Beginning

Sadness is still in the air from the loss of Tuffy...and yet, if you listen closely, there is something beautiful and hopeful to be heard. For, even the mighty Tuffy began his climb to the top from the depths of sadness when his father was killed. Sad days are the nothing but proof of a very successful formula that keeps Nature mysterious...that makes happiness sad...and makes sadness hopeful and necessary. The day after Tuffy was killed, the cycle began to start again...and that is pure happiness...no matter how sad the day is. Here is visual proof that there are no accidents...

Heartbroken

It is with the deepest regret that I must tell you some very bad news. Today, around 1:00pm, my rooster named Tuffy was killed by a coyote. I am heartbroken more than ever before. I loved him so much. Tuffy's father(KiKiRi) was my first rooster. He was very beautiful. He was killed by a coyote two and a half years ago. Tuffy was only about three months old at the time. He had one brother and they were the first baby roosters that hatched of all of my chickens. There had been a batch of hens before that...but, Tuffy and his brother were my first baby roosters. Tuffy became the dominant of the two, and soon after his father was killed, Tuffy became the Sire of the chicken coop. That was two and a half years ago...just like Kiki, Tuffy has been the meanest rooster of the ranch. So many roosters have come and gone in Tuffy's life, but none were able to knock the King off of his throne. Two weeks ago I discovered Tuffy fighting with my number 2 rooster. Tuffy had nearly killed him. I got that cleaned up but about 30 minutes later, a younger rooster attacked Tuffy. He was too exhausted to prepare for it and the younger rooster hurt him. Since that day, Tuffy had been hiding in a small clump of trees every day. Today, he died there. Just a few feet from where his father was killed.
Goodbye, Tuffy. I love you!
(I don't know why the pictures look distorted on the main page...PLEASE click the pictures to see Tuffy in all of his majestic beauty. He deserves it...he was so beautiful.)

Changing Of The Guard

(Note: Please click on the pictures to see them properly...I don't know why but, they look distorted on the blog page. Tuffy deserves to be seen properly. The sunset was an eerie blood red that morning) A sad day in history came to pass a couple of days ago. The rooster named Tuffy has been knocked from his throne and is no longer the King of Rancho Giro. Tuffy has been a super dominant male for nearly three years. That era is now in the past. It is over. Tuffy's crown has been taken from him. He was in a bad fight with the other dominant male(#2) and he won that battle. But, I did not discover them fighting until they were near death. I think it took everything he had left...and since then, Tuffy has been dominated by the much younger roosters and he is too broken to do anything about it. He won't even fight them. He just stays way far away and gives them plenty of room. It is sad to watch. I don't believe any other rooster will wear the crown that Tuffy wore for as long as he did. Here are some pictures from three days ago...the morning that officially stepped down and stopped being aggressive/dominant.

Thank you, Tuffy. We love you...

Jet's 7th Month

  

7 months ago...and 7 months later...

 

 

 

Animated Rooster

It's the old kinetiscope syndrome...
flip through the still photos quickly enough for them to come to life in the illusion of movement. Light may be the only realm...
And that means illumination of the soul...
Now, that's some heavy roosterizing...
(If you can't imagine it...then you can't be it)