The Old Cowboy


After letting the animals out first thing after night shift
I grabbed -a one hour sleep, then took Chris down to the station, walked the dogs and returned
home to catch up with jobs.
I couldn't help noticing  the bundle of feathers lying quietly in the corner of a run when I entered the field......
Without a fuss the blind old rooster Cogburn, like his cinematic namesake, had finally faded into the sunset 
He Sat on his porch so to speak, with his face in the sun, and there, quite suddenly and gently, he had died.

You can't get too sentimental over poultry.
They are scatterbrained scraps of feathers connected together by a beak who die as easily as Christmas cards are thrown in the bin after Boxing Day .
But there was something always so very valliant about Cogburn who lived his small blind life in a chicken wire run without misery and without  resignation.
He just
Got on with  things.

Animals do

A bit later I will take his body down to the badger set in the next field
There is  no point not to recycle his remains
But for the moment
I can't  quite get around to move him from his small , earth floor home
So I will leave him for a while

My old cowboy
Asleep on his porch
with his face in the sun
My old boy

82 comments:

  1. I am sorry you lost the old cowboy.

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  2. And thanks to you John, he faded into the sunset with comfort.

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  3. No blind old rooster ever had a better life.
    Sorry John x

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  4. Bless you for giving him his life. And isn't that how we all want to go, at home and cared for.
    Peter

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  5. My old rooster died Saturday. He was never agressive for a minute, took his job as protector seriously, and lived to a good age, but he will be sorely missed and hard to replace...

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  6. Old soldiers never die. Of all your varied menagerie, I especially liked your stories about Rooster Cogburn. And now he gets his Wild West (Indian) funeral; his body given back to nature. How appropriate!

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    1. Nicely put tom
      I always liked his gentle chutzpah

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  7. Awwww. Precious lad. Not a bad way to go.

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  8. He just
    Got on with things.
    Animals do


    This is something we humans need to learn from animals. Many times I find myself self-pitying without any apparent cause.

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  9. So the old cock bites the dust. Not an ill-wind for the badgers.

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  10. Well, he had a good life with you; I don't suppose many others would have done the same. Sorry to hear he has gone.

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  11. For a real native burial...take one of his feathers and release it to the wind.
    I'm going to miss the old thing.
    Jane x

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  12. Oh RIP dear old Cogburn.

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  13. Ah, always a shame but as said above, no blind, old rooster had a better life. X

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  14. Sleep tight, Cogburn. *sniff*

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  15. Ah bless, sorry to hear of his passing xx

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  16. Yes, we can get sentimental over poultry.

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  17. So sad to hear this. Good that he died quickly and peacefully,

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  18. So sorry to hear about Rooster Cogburn. I expect you had a tear in your eye! I did just reading about the pour old soul's demise. I will miss his stories.

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  19. My friend, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Cogburn.

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  20. :-( It hurt to read this news. Bless your dear memory, little 'ol fella - and thank you..

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  21. No rooster was ever so loved by so many...your stories made us part of his life too...sorry for your loss John

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  22. What a wonderful and dignified way to go.

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  23. Sad news, but as Jim said, a very dignified ending.

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  24. Thank you John for giving us all Rooster Cogburn, he was a delight to read about.

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  25. What a beautiful eulogy.

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  26. I have shed a tear for Cogburn. I used to love reading about him. I am sure he was much more than a scrap of feathers and a beak to you. x

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  27. Sleep tight dear old Rooster x

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  28. Anonymous4:24 pm

    Dear old fellow.....you gave him a safe and comfortable life....I'm going to miss hearing about him.

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  29. So sorry to read of his death, quietly and with dignity ~ not causing a fuss to anyone. It's true what you sayJohn we can all learn something from this sad post. Farewell Old Timer~ we'll miss you :'(

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  30. What a beautiful post John..not been reading you long enough to know much about the old fella, but still, it brought a tear to my eye..it's the way you write!

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  31. Seldom do animals pass peacefully. Usually it is a quite gruesome event, either at the hands of the owner or some other creature under Darwin's inevitable rule. He was luckier than most.

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  32. Lump in my throat....so happy he had you to care for him.

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  33. I can get sentimental about poultry. And have over Cogburn.

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  34. I can (and do) learn a lot from you and your animals...

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  35. A wonderful tribute. Farewell, Cogburn!

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  36. Beautifully written, John. Brought a tear to my eye. You're a bit of a poet under that scruffy exterior, I reckon. And farewell to a valiant old rooster. Even in death his plumage is beautiful.

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  37. Aww. Poor old fella. Sad news as I enjoyed reading about him. But, with you John he had a good life and was able to fade away with dignity. A teary start to my day .........

    Jo in Auckland, NZ

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  38. 'he just got on with things, animals do' - John, thank you for a great post. RIP old Cogburn

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  39. Poetry, John.
    He stills looks dignified.

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  40. He is still beautiful, on his porch, in the sun.

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  41. I agree with Joanne. I'll miss hearing about him, too. I have got a bit sentimental about him. RIP, you dear old thing.

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  42. Oh no John! How sad. I am so sorry.

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  43. Oh. What a nice tribute. My lady gets silly about her chickens too. It's OK to be silly about chickens. xoxoxoxo

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  44. Not a bad way to go. RIP Cogburn, you were loved x

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  45. Poor old guy. He had a good life with you.

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  46. I do get sentimental over poultry, have shed a few tears here, bless you for giving him such a good life.

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    1. Our neighbours, who looked after him when I was away are dreadfully upset too

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  47. Oh, that's so sad. We lost our old boy this year in similar circs. We reckon he was somewhere between 8 and 10 years old. Spurs on him like scimitars but never used in anger. He made it through a miserable winter, spent the day sunbathing on the first decent day of the year, found dead under his perch the next day. Dreadfully poignant, couldn't believe how upset I was :-(

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  48. He had a good run, thanks to you, John. He will be missed by all of us.

    plufrompdx

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  49. And I got choked up. He was lovely and you gave him a good home. Bless you.
    XO

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  50. I bet in his younger day he was quite the dapper fellow.
    To have lived his final days in your care was a blessing... RIP Cowboy.
    Susan

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  51. A fine old fellow was he and handsome too. We should all have as graceful an exit as Cogburn and such fine care that he received through yourself John. Good job.

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  52. I loved reading about him and will miss him.

    cheers, parsnip

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  53. what a wonderful eulogy.

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  54. Oh dear. So sad, but oh, how beautifully written. ox

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  55. Thank you Cathy and jaz of course xxx

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  56. Anonymous1:31 am

    Parents try very hard to not have favourite children. You don't have to with animals.

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  57. Rest in peace, Cogburn.

    Love,
    Janie

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  58. Ooh, I can't help but shed a tear as I learn he is no more.....
    He was a sweetheart, and I will miss you telling of his tales.
    Run wild sweet Cogburn .
    ~Jo

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  59. It is never easy to lose a friend. Hugs to you!

    PS....your blog restores my faith in humanity. Thank you for sharing your life.

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  60. You CAN TOO get sentimental over poultry. Why not? They are sentient beings with personalities of their own. You gave him a good life, and he died a quiet death. What more could anyone ask for?

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  61. So sorry, I loved reading about him as I do with all your animals, hugs xx

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  62. There are some of them that just inch that little bit deeper into our hearts aren't there.

    He died the best death possible, in his favourite place with the sun on his face and knowing that although he couldn't see the faces of those that cared for him .... they did.

    RIP Cogburn, a life well lived.

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  63. So if we shouldn't be sentimental about poultry why am I a bit teary eyed about Cogburn?

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  64. Poor old Cogburn John. I agree that chickens pass over to the other side with no fuss and often when you least expect it. Glad you are putting him by the badger set - we always recycle our chickens in this way by leaving them out for the fox. Sadly, by the time they die, there is often not much left in the way of meat on them, but they always get taken overnight. RIP Cogburn.

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  65. So sorrry to hear of his passing, rest assured that you did everything you could to make it possible for him to live a comfortable life. Thank you for caring and sharing your experiences.

    DG

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  66. Awww, I'm so sorry. Chickens can die very easily and quickly as I've learned, but I still get sentimental over them.

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  67. I have enjoyed Cogburn posts and photos. Such a colorful character, in all ways.

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  68. Anonymous11:27 pm

    Too sad. Sending hugs, if you need hem...

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  69. We will miss Cogburn & the fine character he was. Trelawnyd has never seen a finer disabled rooster then Cogburn was .He died in true cowboy fashion - with his boots on ( in the figurative sense of course).
    Cogburn will be missed. His passing reminds me of the line from Amazing Grace "T'was blind, but now I see". I shall hum a verse or two in remembrence of Rooster Cogburn, who was a fine rooster.

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