a proud, bellicose… and lewd bird!

The rooster and France, it’s a very long story! In Antiquity, writings compare the Gauls to warlike roosters, resisting the onslaught of Roman invaders. “Gallus” in Latin indeed means both a Gallic and a rooster…

Our reputation did not improve in the Middle Ages, when King Philippe-Auguste was compared to this poultry, considered by the enemies of France as “proud, stupid and lustful”.

During the Revolution, change of tone. The rooster is crowned with a Phrygian cap.

During the First World War, the image of the rooster was chosen to oppose it to that of the Prussian eagle.

If we take the terms used in the Middle Ages (proud, stupid and lewd), there is some truth in that… especially on the lewd side, confirms Didier Macrez, a poultry enthusiast.

“A rooster and ten hens in a barnyard, it’s possible since the rooster spends his time mounting the hens. One more, one less, it doesn’t matter. On the other hand, there is a hierarchy among the hens. On the perch is always the same one that is installed next to the rooster.”

The rooster is therefore very much like our old kings of France: an official wife and favourites.

“The ideal in a farmyard is one rooster for three hens.”

Didier Macrez

at franceinfo

Be careful, if you introduce a second rooster into your chicken coop, it can cause damage:

“Initially, the situation is likely to be confrontational. The dominant rooster will not give the new boy a present. But, little by little, they will get used to each other. And you need enough hens to satisfy the two roosters. When the hens are not numerous enough, the roosters fight!”

The cock’s cry is often the cause of disputes between humans. We all have in mind the case of the Maurice rooster accused of disturbing the early mornings of a secondary resident couple in Saint-Pierre d’Oléron.

In 2020, justice decides: Maurice will be able to sing whenever he wants. Besides, all the roosters crow when they want: “A rooster just has to hear another, in the village or even a few kilometers away, for it too to start crowing. I don’t know what they are telling each other, but it’s is their way of communicating, as do peacocks and pheasants.”

Finally, back to the qualifier “beast” used at the beginning of this column… Do the following experiment: install a mirror, then place your rooster in front of it. He will attack his image and try to steal his feathers!