That was the other day. Today, I’m not so sure. Well, I guess I still believe that about chickens. It just doesn’t hold true for roosters, at least not for Sam. Of course, he doesn't lay eggs, but I’ve never held that against him.
Last night, I was in the kitchen at sundown, and heard him crow- really loud. So I pulled aside the curtain and looked out the kitchen window. There was Sam staring right back at me from his perch on the back of a deck chair. I went out and told him it was time to get in the coop, but he wouldn’t listen, just jumped down off the chair and crowed some more, strutting about on the deck. I went back in, figuring he’d go in the coop shortly. It finally got quiet out there, so I went to close up the coop. Heading back to the deck I noticed something on top of the high wooden deck fence. It was Sam! That ornery rooster had evidently climbed up the ladder (I don't think he can fly that high, at least he's never tried before) leaning againt the fence and decided to roost there for the night.
I could NOT get him to come down. Mr. G suggested I try to climb up the ladder and capture him while he was sleeping, but I took one look at those loooong spurs and decided I was in no mood to fall off a ladder or get gored by an irate rooster who’d just been awakened from a deep sleep. So there he sat, in the cold rain, all night. I don’t know what possessed him to do such a thing when he had a nice warm, dry coop to sleep in.
He must not have enjoyed being out all night as much as he thought he would, because this morning I managed to get him back in the run without much trouble at all. When I let Sam and the girls out this evening, I didn't know what shenanigans he might pull tonight. But when I went to close up the run and coop at sundown, there he was, safe inside, looking perfectly content to be there. We’d better not leave the ladder leaning up against the house again, though, or we might one day end up with a real, live, crowing rooster weather vane, and the neighbors might not be too happy about that!
