Screaming Rooster

A sound like a terrified child pierced the night. Out in the darkness, malice was afoot. We opened the back door and listened. It's definitely coming from the direction of the henhouse. I sprinted down the hill in the darkness with my daughter and wife threading their way behind in the narrow beam of a flashlight.

The rooster is standing at the chicken coop entrance to the henhouse screaming his head off. When I open the door and step inside, he climbs to the third shelf, and continues screaming. My wife takes him out and carefully examines his head, comb and feet.

Normally, he won't be touched, much less held. He continues screaming. My daughter looks on the shelf right next to where we pulled the rooster from and discovers a... Possum.

We scooped him into a bucket and out of the coop and the rooster quieted down immediately.

The possum escaped before the death sentence was executed. I hope possums are smart enough to recognize self-critiquing experiences. Next time I'll just drown the little bastard.

The rooster did his job. He protected his flock. He isolated the intruder and sounded the alarm.