Rico Suave

Around here we plan ahead for which roosters stay and which ones have been signed up for Freezer Camp. Patron our fellow Alpha Roo is a mean old thing who will attack if you turn your back, if he feels extra challenging, or if you are wearing hot pink (He HATES pink). He's a jerk with a capital J. So when I incubated a set of eggs early this spring I had every intention of doing what I normally do with our extra roo's; fatten 'em up and then eat them!

Then there came an extra large Easter Egger mix. Maybe it was the fact that he was the only male in his hatch of 3 sisters. Maybe it was the hand feeding and daily holding we did as a baby, but as he grew, we knew he was different. He was gentle. Loved being held. Would readily eat out of anyone's hand. I kept waiting for that to change once he reached maturity. Now at 16 weeks he is still so kind. He doesn't pick on the hens. He circles my legs at feeding time, almost rubbing on them the way a cat would do, and loves to just sit on the porch with the girls.

We officially gave him a name a week ago and as long as he behaves himself, Rico gets to stay.