Is Poppy a roo?

As each day goes by, I am more convinced that Poppy is a roo. I could say it’s her big feet, long legs and long curved tail. I could say it’s her sometimes loud call but not the boc boc sound that pepper is now making. I could say it’s her strutting her stuff while the other two hang together, but sometimes it is just the look she gives me. The other two run to me to see if I have treats and if I do they happily accept them, if I don’t, they go on their way. Not Poppy, she stares me in the eye, sizes me up and seems to say that she is not afraid of anyone or anything!

Poppy gives me the eye!

This is the look she gives me! This had already got me convinced but then a further incident happened. My youngest son and his partner called by just before the chickens bed time and we went to look in on them. As usual, pepper was first to want to go in the coup and Dotty as always was behaving like the youngster and wanting a last run around. Poppy always waits until they are in before going in herself. Suddenly she seemed to think that strangers were distracting her girls from bed time and looked as if she was about to launch herself at my sons partner, giving her quite a scare. Several times she looked as if about to jump at her. When I knelt beside Poppy she wasn’t worried by me, as I am familiar to her, but she seemed not to want someone else there while she was trying to get her girls to bed. We retreated and she followed the girls in to the coop. I feel sure this is the behaviour of a protective roo. I can’t imagine that a hen would take up that attack stance. I feel that after tonight, I am more sure than ever that my beautiful Poppy is a protective roo watching over the girls.