Before I interned at a farm sanctuary, I had volunteered at and visited several. During my prior visits, however, there was one animal I never quite connected to: chickens.
That changed during my internship. I suddenly found myself getting to know them quite well– especially the roosters.
Most of the roosters at the sanctuary were housed with their own flocks of hens (one rooster per flock).
My job was to re-fill all of the birds’ water bowls, which, of course, required entering the coops. At the sound of my approach, one particular coop’s rooster would invariably appear at the gate, ready for a spar.
He’d follow me closely as I walked around in the coop, making sure I didn’t get too close to any of the hens. When I shut the gate to leave, he’d charge at the closed gate as if to say “and STAY OUT!”
It was cute, even when he decided to attack while I was still inside (resulting in a few bruises).
Another rooster, upon witnessing me take an egg from a brooding hen, chased me angrily out of the coop.
I learned that beyond their protectiveness, roosters also seem to follow “ladies first.” Upon finding food, a rooster will make vocalizations to alert the hens, and he will not partake until all the hens have been able to eat.
Whether this is chivalry or chauvinism I guess is up to interpretation, but I’d like to be positive.
Philosophy for Animals 
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