Big Boy - a Sicilian Buttercup - sweetness of my flock

My sweet "Big Boy" buttercup. He is so special - I decided to make him his own page, in part to deal with having to send him off. For those who follow my page on facebook, you know he arrived in Texas March 5, 2013. I miss his presence - but it was the best solution.

In May of 2012, I got my first chickens, a straight run of assorted light chickens from Sandhill preservation. The reason for the assorted was - fun surprise and the Buff Catalanas I had ordered were not available then and only got sent after the heat wave - in September. With an assorted run, you don't now what they will send you beforehand, but I loved what I got:
11 Blue Andalusians, 6 Sicilian Buttercups, 6 Egyptian Fayoumis and 4 Golden Polish. I lost 1 after pasting, and the rest turned out to be: 17 males, 9 females, not exactly the ratio of 50/50, and the person who said they were going to take my males (since they eat them) backed out...so I had to deal with all the roosters.

The pro side of raising that many roosters was: I got to know a lot of roosters and fell in love with them. One of them was especially sweet - a Sicilian Buttercup who I named "Big Boy" as he was the first of the  Buttercups to mature.

From day 1 he would want to sit on my shoulder, he was never aggressive to me or other chickens, he never even showed me the "wing thing".  He came running when he saw me, he was good with the baby buff catalanas, he got along. So so docile - iI was saying: he does not have much "roostesterone". He was in charge for a while, but then one day his brother took over and that was the phase he got so relentlessly chased that I held him back with the 3 buttercup pullets, who liked him but no other roo.

9 months old

The mixed flock on the hugelkultur

Big Boy and his Blue Andalusian buddy a roosting time

He remained so sweet always ...and on his last day here with me, before going in to roost the last time, I sat in the field and he hopped on my arm and we sat head to head for a while - me telling him a few things, preening him and him clucking. I will never forget it. It was amazing.

Big Boy - going to roost here the last time - he was never far for
 too long from the black pullet there -BeeBee

He liked the buttercup pullets, but his best girl was a black Blue Andalusian, and he was never far from her for long.

Why did I give him up: because the property owners were afraid of a complaining neighbor, even though we are in a fully agricultural neighborhood. I may keep 1 or 2 roosters, so since Big Boy had a welcoming home in Texas - I let him go so another can live.  His brother was already there. He went to the post office Monday, March 4 and gotto his new home the next day.

He was THE BIG sweetness of my flock

May he live a long happy rooster life.

In general: all the Sicilian Buttercups turned out VERY sweet. The pullets also are extremely sweet.

I would get buttercups again anytime.