Late 2010, we received a call from Animal Planet. They were filming an episode of Confessions: Animal Hoarding, and they wanted our help.

The person in question had between 40-50 chickens, they said. Could we take them?

At first we were hesitant, so we asked to visit the property and see the conditions of the birds and their living situation.

After our first tour, we knew the situation demanded our attention. There were not 40-50 birds, but more than 130 roosters, hens and chicks. It was far from ideal living conditions.

For several hours late one evening, we captured all 140 roosters, hens and chicks, transporting them to our Rescue Ranch facility and then to Grass Valley.

While most of the hens were placed into permanent homes, the roosters have remained at our Grass Valley facility, awaiting placement.

It has been an interesting endeavor. It is a common myth that roosters constantly fight. Or that they fight to the death. Nothing disproves a myth more than the reality of 46 roosters - not all related, either - cohabitating together with minimal strife.

The roosters have been fascinating to watch, their enjoyment with their life evident in everything they do - from dust-bathing together to crowing at the hens across the way.

Each rooster has a name, most after poets or authors. Not one is the same, either.

Frost is a big white rooster who is a benevolent leader. He does not mind letting other roosters have their way, and his efforts at defending his turf and status are minimal, at best.

Chaucer, on the other hand, is always looking for a scuffle. He is constantly striving to be top rooster, but his aggressive antics often ends up with him on the receiving end of a correction by the more dominant roosters, like Picasso. Here Picasso is intervening on Frost's behalf...you can see Chaucer's tail feather disappearing stage left (off to the right).

Tennyson takes a more passive-aggressive approach to achieving world domination. Every evening as the roosters select a small barn to sleep in, Tennyson stands right in the doorway blocking everyone's entrance. The roosters left out in the cold complain loudly until a staff member swoops in and places Tennyson on a perch of his own. Peace is thus re-achieved.

These roosters are intelligent (some more so than others, just like people!) and fun birds to watch. They would make wonderful additions to any chicken flock...many of them could even get along with other resident roosters. Adopt one or two today!

And don't forget to watch for them on Animal Planet's Confessions: Animal Hoarding when the second season debuts January 14, 2011 at 7pm pacific time, 10 pm eastern.