Zane, the Protector (PICS)

[speckledhen]

My banty Cochin, Shadow, is often out with her three babies at the same time I put Zane out to get fresh air and sunshine. She seems to have no issue with him being close to her chicks at all; in fact, they play all around him without a hint of concern from Shadow and she is one feisty mama, let me tell you! Today, one baby was getting off by itself and Zane raised up high and kept a fatherly eye on it till it came back to mama. He's never been around chicks before and Shadow and he were never in the same flock, since Zane was crippled before Shadow was even hatched. Thought you'd enjoy these pics of Zane and his little family he's sort of adopted. The babies are 15 days old now. The last pic is a bit blurry, but I liked the expression on his face. I have pictures of his daddy, Hawkeye, with that exact same expression.

 

[steffpeck]

So Cute!!! I am so glad to see Zane doing as well as he is.

 

[TriciaHowe]

 

[hinkjc]

That is wonderful to see his natural instinct to father and protect his flock. What a handsome fella!

 

[crtrlovr]

He's doing such a good job! He's a good roo, and looks so proud to be doing his job well. I have a 19 yr. & 3 mo. old cat Katie who in her younger days was an EXTREMELY good hunter. Either one of my cats or a neighborhood cat had killed a baby rabbit and left it on my back patio (I keep my cats in at night, but if one of my cats did it, they did it just before I got them in). When I let the cats out the next morning, Katie found the rabbit. She picked it up, trotted into the house with it, dropped it in the floor, and proudly "announced" her capture. I told her she was still a good hunter, and that I was proud of her, and she literally walked taller and more proudly for the rest of the day. I KNOW it made her feel proud and more like her youthful self, and it makes me glad to know she is still enjoying her time here. Speckledhen, I hope that wasn't a hijack; I just wanted to share that I know you're proud of Zane and that the rest of us love to hear reports of his progress and that he is living a happy, adjusted life and enjoying his "chicken-ness"!

 

[Schultz]

Aww, thanks for sharing. He is one handsome "pappa"! So glad he is doing well and Momma and babies sure are pretty!

 

[sred98]

Awww....what a sweet boy! That is great. Thanks for posting pics of him and his "brood".

Shelly

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Fantastic family.

Shadow is simply gorgeous! I love her soft coloring - is she a blue?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

I wish we could have a rooster in the city.

We'd love to see the interaction between the roo and his flock.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Shadow is a lavender, also called Self-Blue. She's been a wonderful mother and I was ready to protect Zane from her, but she seems comforted by his presence. Normally, she is in the flock with his younger brother, Dutch, so maybe the similarity is why she is so comfy around him.

Rob, I am amazed at how gentle a big rooster can be with tiny babies! Hawkeye was wonderful with them. I once put him in a pen with about 20 eight week olds and he stood proud and showed them food, etc. Zane has that gentle nature.