Late afternoons are special times for the chickens. As the sun sets, and shadows stretch to the edge of the lawn, the roosters and hens make their last rounds before heading to their roosts. They find things to eat, court, and enjoy the last rays of the sun.

The yellow rooster is Billy, the five year old rooster who is the progenitor of many of the chickens here. He no longer rules the roost, but he’s made his peace with the rest of the roosters, and seems to enjoy retirement. This spring he was looking pretty ragged and walking with a limp, but he recovered over the summer, and is well on his way to growing back his tail feathers.

A typical rooster lives from five to eight years, so for a rooster he is a senior bird.