The Crow of the Rooster

Our day now begins at cockcrow – the sound of our roosters. They like to wake up around 4:45, which is actually a perfect time for me to rouse these days. The song birds are also twittering and the light is soft and gentle. Best of all, there is a slight chill to the air; with baking hot days, the morning air feels as fresh as spearmint. 

With this rooster crow, we are up. I cut some cucumber slices, chilled from the fridge, and arrange the chunks in a pan. As I near the coop, they hear me right away; the hens are clucking and the roosters are pushing the decibels with their own definitive crow. I open the door to the coop and out they bound like race horses at the Kentucky Derby. 

They rush to their morning organic buffet, grab a piece of cucumber and then run off to protect their juicy prize. This is a failed technique as such suspicious behavior simply attracts other chickens who rush over and then fight for this one morsel. While they are haggling over one piece, the tray is still filled with other equally juicy pieces. Chickens are not exactly intelligent, but they are curious. 

Plymouth Rock absconds with a tomato.

Morning is also the time when the roosters chase after the hens who are chasing after the cucumber thieves. If our tiny Silkie male chases a female, the large, dominant Rhode Island Red rooster intercepts and a stand-off dance begins. They strut back and forth, side to side, then call it a day. In the meantime, all of the cucumbers are gobbled up by the hens. 

I could watch them all morning, but there is other work to do and we like to be out in the market garden before six. The sun pops up over the trees while the veggies are still yawning. We now have most of them covered in shade nets, leaving the sun lovers open to enjoy the strong rays: cucumbers, zucchinis, basil, tomatoes, corn, okra, and kale do not need sun screen. Inside, cozy under the nets, we are growing lettuce, coriander, Swiss chard, and beets. With corn and squash ready to eat, it feels like it should be Thanksgiving here, but the heat says otherwise.

We weed and harvest until the sweat beads and drips from our faces, a sign that it’s time to head inside. I collect some cherry tomatoes for the chickens’ mid-morning snack and they gather at the fence to see what treasure awaits them.

They are panting, their beaks slightly open, their breathing rapid. We have installed a fan in their coop but they still spend most of the day outside under the shade of an olive tree. As for the Silkies, they are covered with what looks more like a mink coat than feathers. They must be roasting. Yet no matter how hot they are, eating cherry tomatoes is a stirring moment in our chicken run.

The chickens remain unnamed. After we lost our sweet Legbar, I decided that I would not become too attached. Yet I am more vigilant. I search online about every strange behavior be it laying eggs on the floor, not laying eggs, diarrhea, a foul smell in the coop, and dealing with this heat.

Silkie hen

My research has led to some interesting finds. I add apple cider vinegar to their water once a month for immune support and improved egg production. I also came across a recipe for electrolyte water to keep them from getting dehydrated. 

I can now distinguish the ‘laying sound’ of a hen; I may not recognize popular songs, but I am attuned to our chicken music! The hens are now producing about five eggs a day and it is exciting to check the coop for eggs. They like to lay their eggs in the same place, so I may find three eggs in one egg box. I am still amazed that a large chicken can jump in an egg box and lay an egg without breaking the existing ones.

The unusual part is that our hens are not sitting on their eggs, which means no chicks. I once heard that the broodiness quality has been bred out of chickens, which is why most chicks are now born in incubators. The Silkie breed is supposed to be broody so I will wait and see. In the meantime, they are providing us with delicious eggs daily.

Silkie rooster

This is just the start of summer here in Israel, my first summer in this area, and the most challenging time of year. We simply need to adapt to the heat by living according to the crow of the rooster.