‘Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I’m a chicken’s man, no time to squawk
Crowin’ loud, yeah chickens be warned, I’ve been moved around
Since I was born
And now it’s alright, it’s okay
And you can’t look the other way
You just try, to understand
This perfect rooster’s effect on fans’
“I don’t know where to look. It’s all so stunning. Bright red comb in gangsta cornrows. Two big cotton balls of fluffy feathers under piercing clear eyes. Splashes of black and gold throughout a dazzling white coat. Tail feathers longer than the rest of the body that swing like palm fronds in an ocean breeze. Wing tips that touch the ground during oh-so-funky dance moves. Feet feathers that stick out way past the toes so that strutting gets redefined with every step. And that crow: Please, Cock-a-Doodle-do-do-DO-IT-AGAIN!”
Tiger had caught sight of his reflection on the side of the tin shed. The curve of the tin acted like a crazy mirror at an amusement park magnifying his image to twice his actual size and nearly as big as some of the other chickens in the coop.
As he was preparing to crow – again – Pea Hen wandered into the reflection. The first note of Tiger’s would-be crow got stuck in his curved throat. The strange noise made Pea Hen fluffle up in fright and they both ran off in opposite directions.
Tiger had learned to crow just before he arrived at the coop. He really loved the sound of it and he also liked the feeling that crowing gave him. Each time he crows he gets a “Mufasa” shiver that makes him fluffle all over and then he shakes it out with his wings and tail. The tail-shaking makes his whole body do the twist and in turn makes him feel like strutting.
Of all his attributes and skills, the young rooster is most proud of his strut. He decided that if God had given him those extraordinary feet feathers, he just had to put them on show as often as he could. Feet have some obvious, useful purposes like gripping a roost, scratching the ground and, if your lucky enough to be able to see the feathers that grow on top of your feet with out tilting your head down to look, then, feet are made for strutting.
Another skill that Tiger is clearly proud of is his ability to communicate. Whether it’s announcing the sunrise, warning of overhead dangers, sharing the discovery of food or explaining why he is the best looking bird within earshot, Tiger does a lot of his communication at high volume with his newly discovered Cock-a Doodle-do-ing. But he is also adept at the more subtle Strut’n’Cluck. He times his personal musings, observations and compliments to the deliberate rhythm of each step he takes. He also bobs his head back and forth in time with his own personal beat making the stunning feathers around is neck move like a lions mane.
Tiger has quite a few things in common with his feline namesake, as well a few differences. One thing they have in common is the colour palate of their feathers and fur. The cat is famous for black strips on an orange background with a white belly. Tiger has all these colours too, but in a much more free expression of how these colours can be used to draw attention rather than to help hide in the bushes. Tiger is without question on the smaller end of the scale in terms of chicken size. The cat that he is named after, on the other hand, is the largest of all cats. Chickens originated in the same part of the world as tigers but are now found all over the globe while the large, solitary predator can only be found in limited terrain and unfortunately is listed as endangered. I’m sure that when Tiger surveys the coop, and the hens roaming around it, extinction is the furthest thing from his thoughts.
