By Monty Siekerman
After more than 50 years of writing for newspapers, my career comes to an end with this last story, a fun and frivolous account of Richard the Rooster. Fun and frivolity, every life needs some of that. Too many media reports are full of doom gloom or make you scared to even stick your toe out of the door. Here is the history of Richard the Rooster, a wild cock that makes his home among the residents in the 500 block of South Johnson Street.
The Ada Icon has been following Richard more than a year and a half with seven updates on the escape artist who, at this point, has survived a cop search, winter weather, traffic, the threat of starvation, and predators.
By now, Richard the Rooster has made himself quite at home among the houses and residents on South Johnson. He’s even befriended cats and kittens. I think they look after each other. Felines like to chase birds. And, they like to eat chicken. But in this case chicken and cats are friends, all keeping a watchful eye out for each other.
The story begins in May, 2017
Richard’s story begins in May of 2017 when he was spotted in the residential area near the downtown. As the story goes, the fancy chick, not liking to be a 4H project, escaped from a farm home at the edge Ada. The local cops put out an APB to be on the lookout for Richard. A woman in the east part of town saw the chicken on her porch. Richard was returned home. The story does not end there.
Shortly thereafter, Richard flew the coop again. This time, he made his way to Johnson Street. Good thing he turned south instead of north because McDonald’s is north and you know what they serve: chicken sandwiches.
Richard the Rooster took a liking to the 500 block of Johnson, maybe because there is a giant evergreen along the side of the road. The tree proved to be a safe sleeping place. During the day, many passers-by would see him pecking away in front yards. He perches on fences, wanders under shrubs, and crosses the road. The cock is alert, fast running, and high flying.
Someone began to put out food for him But the neighbor found that rats liked the food, too. They were advised to stop feeding Richard, if they wanted their home to be rodent-free. So, they did.
Richard foraged for himself for a time. Nowadays, another neighbor throws out food for the rooster, and he seems happy. In fact, he has made friends with the man’s cat and kittens. They often can be seen together.
A downtown oddity
Richard the Rooster is a downtown oddity, but no one seems to mind, he causes no harm, and the people in the neighborhood seem to enjoy his comings and goings.
Several people have reported the rooster to the Ada Icon. One reader sent us a photograph of him with this note, “I came across this crowing rooster at 6:30 a.m. I guess he made it through the winter. He does like his picture taken.”
What breed is this misplaced chicken with an eagle-eye for danger? Dave Kiper, a Hardin County chicken expert, writes, “This cock is certainly a mix, most likely Mediterranean stock from a Comet. Comets are an excellent breed of light brown egg layers. This is most likely mixed with Buff Orpington.” Hence, the handsome, proud-strutting cock has a beautiful mix of colors: brown, black, and white.
May he survive another Ada winter and provide joy to those who see him.
That, dear reader, is the story of Richard the Rooster. If you see him, tip your hat. And, this is my last story before I find out what retirement is all about. If you see me, tip your hat. Thanks for your friendship and kindness. God speed.
