NEWS FROM PIXIE GREEN

Very sad news from Pixie Green, only one of the eggs the broody hen was sitting on, hatched. It appears that the other eggs were unfertile. The mother is very protective of her precious hatch and keeps it hidden under her wing most of the time. It has been hard to get a photo of ‘One Chick,’ who is a French Wheaton Maran. At the moment we don’t know whether it’s a hen or a cockerel. This we will know in about six weeks’ time.

If ‘One Chick’ turns out to be a cockerel he will be given a very grand name. If it is a hen it will most likely keep the epithet of ‘One Chick.’ There is something in the strutting arrogance of a cockerel that demands a grand name. They are often named after kings or sometimes mythological cock gods. They are a symbol of good as they herald in the sun that banishes the darkness. They are often seen on church weather vanes as an enemy of evil. It is said that they will crow on the day of judgement in a fanfare that will waken the dead. There is an old country belief that if a cock crows on the doorstep it is a sign that there will be an arrival of a visitor.

We once had a Maran cockerel with a grand name I have since forgotten as my father called him ‘Jaws.’ He was the most vicious of creatures with enormous spurs and an ability to jump up very high. He attacked anybody who came near the hens or the nesting boxes. Collecting eggs was a hazardous job. Wellington boots offered no protection, as ‘Jaws’ jumped up way above them leaving shark tooth like gashes in the thigh of the unprotected egg collector. I truly believe that even wearing belly waders and gauntlets would have been useless against ‘Jaws’ attack.

My father came up with the answers. He used a metal dustbin lid as a shield and like a gallant knight he would fight off ‘Jaws’ while one or other of us collected the eggs. Over the years ‘Jaws has become a bit of a family legend. He was a large, handsome cockerel but as his story is told he grows in stature and attitude. He has been called a giant of a bird, magnificent, a regal specimen with diamond sharp spurs, a beak like an eagle’s and eyes like a hawk.

I hope that if ‘One Chick’ is a cockerel he will be less vicious than ‘Jaws’ but if he does become an aggressive king of the roust at least my brother will know how to handle him.
‘One Chick’ is already a bit of a legend, it being the only chick to hatch from a cluck of twelve. I’m sure it won’t be long before he is the inspiration for a fairytale character.

FAIRY TEATIME TALES are published by www.bookguild.co.uk