Name: Double Dots or just Dots
Breed: Gold Sexlink (Golden Comet)
Acquired: April 2015
About Double Dots: Double Dots started life in a hatchery far, far away and was shipped, at the tender age of day-old to the Tractor Supply in Mansfield, PA, where he was then scooped up and placed into a box with 16 of his little yellow brothers and 3 of his little not-so-yellow sisters… all because Little Dude thought the yellow ones were cute.
It turned out that all the cute yellow ones were boys. We didn’t know that until I started researching what a ‘sexlink’ was and realized that uhoh, we have mostly roosters! Ooops!
But cute they were, and I still think that Double Dots is a handsome man. You know for a rooster. 😉
He is the only rooster of his brothers we kept. The others went to Freezer Camp, but Dots was chosen to stay with because Little Dude liked him and was able to pick him up and carry him around. We are still able to do this. Dots is something of a ‘cuddle chicken.’ He likes to be held, petted and talked to. He eats food out of my hands and is so gentle about it. The hens peck hard, but not Dots.
He is a gentleman with his ladies. He tidbits often and waits for them to get feed and treats before he eats. He dances for them and stands guard while they dirt bath. At night, he calls them all to roost and counts to make sure everyone is there, packing back and forth while everyone else files inside in the proper order according to their place in the flock hierarchy.
He is our head rooster, and is joined in his duties by this son, the oft talked about Pip. But he is not the head chicken. That title belongs to his sister, Abigail. The three of them – Dots, Abby and Pip – form an authoritative and protective leadership triangle. I’ve seen them put the entire flock on lock down, each taking a 1/3 of the others under their watch, while a threatening larger bird overhead. None of them allowing anyone to move until it was decided it was safe. As long as the three of them are there, I know my flock is in good hands.
In addition to Pip, Dots is papa to at least three other members of the flock.
There a Chick 