I want to talk about Vader (the black chicken in the photo) as she reminds me of some people I know.
Vader has never been that friendly. Red (the other chicken) let’s me pick her up, and pet her, and always runs over to see me. Vader…not so much.
And that’s cool, right? To each chicken it’s own. Variety is what makes life interesting.
So today, I moved the coop (it moves, because it’s what is known as a “chicken tractor”: Google it) to its winter location. Moving it allows it more shelter from winter winds and for me to run electricity to it for a heat lamp and a gizmo that keeps the water from freezing in their dish.
So, since they are getting older, and producing less (Vader was never really much in the egg production business) I decided to let them “free range” a bit. Oh boy, do they have fun getting into everything and looking for snacks. And this is an especially good thing for Vader right now because she is either plucking out her own feathers, or Red is doing it for her. She is literally half naked in two days.
So I read about it on the interwebs, and they say the “pecking order” is a sign of stress. Someone in the coop isn’t digging something that is happening. So a new location, fresh grass, and a new food seemed to be the recommendations of the Internet experts. So I did all those things.
So now to the climax of our story…
- I get everything done, go get Red, pick her up and put her in her new digs. She seems very pleased.
- I go to get scroungy-looking, half-naked, stressed-out Vader…and she won’t cooperate. Won’t let me near her. Won’t let me herd her toward the coop.
So after chasing her for longer than i wanted to, I bid her a rousing GFY, and leave her. I don’t have time to play games with chickens. She will meet some new friends this evening like Mr. Raccoon, Mr. Fox and Mr. Frostbite. If she is really dumb, she will meet Mr. Car Tire.
And finally, the point and philosophical question…
Vader is going to die tonight. I came specially today to care for her, and her behaviors and flawed personality are going to be her undoing. Her last hours will be free, but terrifying and predictably gruesome in the final moments.
So…what can we learn? When should we listen? When to comply? When to resist? When to trust? When to question? And how to weigh the few hours of freedom against the imminent carnage and ultimate failure of the concept of rebellion?