Paul the Chook Outsider

In one of my chook pens there are three roosters. Most of the chooks' wings have been clipped to prevent them from flying the coup. However there are still 2 chooks who regularly escape and one of them is one of the roosters called Paul.

In fact he was named after a close friend of mine after I told him about this particular rooster's behaviours and knack of escaping.

Paul flies over the fence then proceeds to walk around the outside of the pen just about all day looking in at his other friends and relatives. He appears to be jealously watching them as they eat the food given and drink from their water troughs.

The other day I put him back inside the pen where I had just placed some new grains and clean water. He appeared extremely traumatized and promptly enacted a very tricky and difficult escape. Of course he then continued to walk the outside perimeters of the coup for most of the day. During the day he seems to quite clearly forget that he has a route of entry back into the pen for his night time kip.

His behaviours truly seems sad and pathetic; self sabotage par excellence.

His apparent problem seems to beg many questions; such as how many of our personal miseries are indeed self imposed?

Alternatively are his miseries caused because he can do something his peers apparently cannot do i.e. fly the coup? Is he unconsciously wishing his peers would fly the coup alongside him? After all he is the one who is more 'more intact and whole' than the others.

Yet despite the fact that he is 'more intact' it is not the others on the inside jealously peering at him through the wired fence.

This little tale, I feel begs many introspective and analytical questions from us all.

Keep posted.