We came home later than usual last night, and when we pulled up to the house it had just fully turned dark. The chickens will always put themselves to bed by nightfall, and we simply have to come along and close the door behind them. As we approached the coop something looked, well, funny. The birds had decided to roost on top of the coop for the night, rather than inside. Evidently the door had been blown shut by the wind at some point during the day, so being unable to get to their "bedroom", they did the best they could. They were all lined up side by side on the front edge of the roof, with Rooster Boy right in the middle, wings spread slightly over top of the hens on either side of him. He had a very protective posture. In that moment it seemed apparent that he had gathered them all there, as away from harm as he could manage, and was trying his best to keep them safe. I was so proud - it was all I could do to not give him a resounding "Good boy!"
We plucked them each one by one off the roof and relocated them to the inside. Even the rooster went peacefully - they were so ready for bed. As long as he keeps that up and doesn't become outright dangerous, I'm content to keep him on the payroll.
Good boy!
And now for your Friday viewing pleasure - smoked chicken!
If she only knew.
Coq au Vin
ReplyDelete- Fresh Rooster (Coq)
- 1/2 bottle red wine
- 2 large onions
- 1/4 pound bacon
- 4 cloves garlic
- Bouquet garni (or 4 bay leaves)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Butter
- Flour
Cut the onions into small pieces and sautée in butter. Once cooked, put the onions in a cooking pot
Using the same frying pan, cook the bacon. Add the bacon to the cooking pot
Cut the chicken into pieces and flour lightly. Fry the chicken pieces in butter until golden brown. Once cooked, add the chicken to the cooking pot.
Finely chop the garlic and add to the pot. Add the wine and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken pieces are very tender. Serve
Rooster really is very tasty. I have one in the freezer right now (not one of mine).
ReplyDeleteI am still laughing - that is a wonderful picture. What a great story about your rooster.
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to figure out how many roosters I have. There will only be one in the end... so I'm trying to gage personalities and good looks and such. No crowing yet.