R is for the Rooster

He literally rules the roost, determines the pecking order and is the king of the barnyard. His crow is the opening note on that sheet music of the farm, a dramatic solo signaling the arrival of each day.

A Speckled Sussex rooster at three-years is a creature of beauty, broad of chest, dark red combs and wattles, long spurs and a full and colorful plumage. While the hens have their heads down eating his is up and vigilant for interlopers. Mating dozens of times a day he makes one exhausted with imagining the possibilities.

And when that day finally arrives and the old boy has lost his crow, he is butchered and cooked into a most satisfying coq-au-vin. And, next morning, around five, the new king of the barnyard sounds his opening note for the day.

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Reading this weekend: Kith: the riddle of the childscape by Jay Griffiths, an exploration of the loss of play and independence in modern childhood.