June 27, 2008 – Winston Sr., in many ways the symbol of Bedlam Farm and a strong presence here, was attacked and nearly killed by his son, Winston Jr. Annie found him lying in a pool of blood by the tractor and got him into the barn, cleaned him off a bit.
  When I got home, I got Annie’s message and went out to check on him. Winston Jr. was in the barn, and was attacking the older rooster again, and Winston was trying to run away, so I threw a garbage can at Junior, then called Rose out and told her to get him, and she chased him around the barn, and  I got the .22 and shot Junior five times in the head, killing him quickly.
  (It’s been quiet on the farm for awhile, and we are making up for it. I dumped him out into the woods, riding the four-wheeler and a deer came off of the hillside and collided lightly with the ATV, dumping me on the ground, and nearly clocking Rose, who was running in front. Nobody was hurt – not me, except for a sore ankle,  the dogs or the deer, or the four-wheeler. Got the blood pressure up, though).
   Winston Sr. has had more than his share of troubles, and a rich history here. He lived on a nearby farm, was injured protecting his hens from a hawk attack, then came near and I found him frozen to death (or so I thought) in the barn one morning. Annie fed him soup and medicine and revived him and he has fathered a number of offspring, including Junior, a beautiful rooster, but a dominant creature who attacked his father once before.
 I am fond of Winston. He is a gentle creature, and the history of the farm is entwined with his presence. He hung around with Orson, my late demented border collie and the reason I moved up here, in part, and loves to hang around with people. Lately, he has been fading, and spending his days by the Pig Barn. It is hard to seem him so banged up. Annie is coming over in a few minutes, and we are going to wash him and clean him up. He is eating corn, but he has severe wounds, including his eyes. Doubtful that he will make it, though Annie has worked miracles before.
   Winston Jr. liked to pose for photos by the back door each morning, and I got a lot of good photos of him. Under different circumstances, we would have trapped him and tried to find another farm. Under these circumstances, there wasn’t much time or choice in my mind.  Junior was just acting out the true nature of roosters, but I wasn’t about to watch him kill Winston. Probably should have gotten rid of him the first time. Hope Senior makes it. He deserves another summer. He seems unable to get up. Minnie the barn cat is lying by his side. The two always hang out together in the barn, and I will post a photo of that.

(Earlier, we went to a nursing home and Izzy and Lenore has one of their most powerful encounters yet. I’ll blog about it later. This is one of those days where I could use another Farm Journal.)