What Dumb Cluck!

What Dumb Cluck!
Thursday, June 29, 2023 by Cindy K. Sproles

We’ve enjoyed Lucky the Rooster – the rooster we got by default. The four chicks we brought home from the feed store were SUPPOSED to be sexed. We chose our four from the “Female” section. They were so cute as tiny chicks, peeping and squeaking, until I walked outside to the coop one day and heard an er-er-er. I stopped dead, looked at the ball of fluff standing inside the fence, and said, “Excuse me! Did you just try to crow?”

That was it. I went into denial. I wanted all hens because I wanted my neighbors to still like me. I didn’t bank on a rooster. After all, the guy at the feed store said they were all female. Weeks passed, and I tried my best to deny that the little cutie I’d lovingly named Lucy was obviously a Lucky. Then Chase walked in one afternoon with his grand announcement.

“Thunder thighs, just crowed.”

Thunder thighs? Oh, dear. It was undeniable now. Lucy was a Lucky with thighs that Colonel Sanders would chop off in a second.

The turning point for our Lucky came when we had a visitor a few days ago. Not one of the humankind – more of the raccoon kind. That little scutter figured out how to get into our very secure fenced-on-all-sides-and-top coop area. He ate a half-gallon of chicken feed and upset the girls enough that they stopped laying eggs for a few days.

We’d heard raccoons would kill chickens, so it was imperative that we captured this culprit to protect the coop. I didn’t think about Kingpin Lucky. The first night (before we knew the visitor was a raccoon), we added a new door to our chicken run. That blocked Rocket Raccoon for one night until night two rolled around. The little sneak climbed on top of the netting on the coop and fell through.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so we purchased a trail cam and set it in the coop. The next morning, low and behold, Rocket Raccoon gave us some lovely photos. What tickled me was he would climb the ramp to the hen house but not go in. Why? Kingpin Lucky stood at the entrance. Eat his food but leave his girls alone. And Rocket obeyed.

As Tim and I viewed the photos on the trail cam, I made the remark, “What dumb cluck. A raccoon in the coop, and Lucky guards the house door. No chickie dinner for the raccoon.”

The next day we borrowed a live trap from my cousin, set it, and baited it with a sliced apple and a piece of pepperoni pizza. Hey – who knows what his taste was? Sunday morning at 5:45 a.m., we walked out to the chicken run, and there was Rocket Raccoon. The cute little guy didn’t hiss once. I gave him a breadstick, loaded the cage in the car, and the Prince and I made a trip to the mountain. We parked, walked a short distance to a creek, and opened the cage.

Rocket was the perfect name for the raccoon because he flew out of that cage like he had a rocket attached to his rear. Such was the story of Rocket Raccoon.

When we got home, Kingpin Lucky pranced around the coop like HE’D captured the raccoon. We decided to share the win with Lucky since he was scary enough to keep the raccoon out of the hen house.

I guess all that hug therapy we’ve been doing with Lucky failed, since his attitude was certainly cocky enough that he kept Rocket at bay.

In the meantime, Lucky has a new name – Kingpin Lucky. And he will continue his hug therapy despite his love for it.

Oh – and Rocket Raccoon. He has a lovely home on the mountain with plenty of woods, dens, rocks and water. Trust me, he’s much happier.

Visit us for adventure that never ends? Kinda. Sorta. Yep.

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Comments

Amanda Everett From At 6/30/2023 8:29:35 AM

The winner is “lucky kingpin”! I love hearing about the adventures of the “Lucky and The Sproles”.

Reply by: Cindy Sproles

Lol. Welcome to our life.

Chambers Sandra From At 6/30/2023 5:16:15 AM

I love your blogs! Your hook ALWAYS entices me to read more! Sprinkled with (sometimes overflowing with) humor they always brighten my day. Did you write a book or devotional that pulls these blogs all together? If so, I want it! It’s 4:30 am and now I’m wide awake laughing. Thanks ??