So I mentioned the other day, that I have a bunch of chickens, one of which I thought might be a rooster.  He runs the hens around and very clearly is the boss of the coop.  He has pointy saddle feathers and he’s huge compared to the other birds.  Still, I was sold hens so I held out hope that “Licorice” was just a bossy hen.  I mean, each bird has her (or his) own personality so I thought I might still be ok.

Of course, the kids are out of town with my folks, so Emily and I have enjoyed quiet sleep.  On Monday morning, however, at almost exactly 6 am, we heard a sort of ill-formed warble that turned into a rooster-like sound.  He practiced a few more times and finally let out a few real rooster crows.  By 6:15, he was done.  I was able to visibly catch him in the act at one point because I didn’t want to mistakenly pin maleness on Licorice if it were really Beatrice doing the crowing.

Emily didn’t hear him crow another single time the rest of the day or evening.  Tuesday morning, he was at it again from 6 until 6:15 am and then he was quiet.  That wouldn’t really bother me, but we do live in the city and have neighbors fairly close-by.  I will definitely talk to them and make sure they aren’t terribly inconvenienced, but city ordinances do stipulate that while hens are legit in the city, roosters are definitely not.

I talked to a few friends who could have roosters but neither needed him so unless someone else turns up who needs a rooster, Licorice will make us a fine dinner this weekend.  I hate to see him go as he is a pretty bird and really pretty gentle with humans, but I do not want trouble from the city or my neighbors.  Ultimately, all of the chickens will be eaten as well so this is not a huge deal…just a little sooner than I had planned.

Ah well, I guess this is the life of an urban chicken farmer.  I guess you can never truly know whether you have males or females until you get proof…noisy proof…