ANIMAL FARM
Barbados is now full of stray chickens. Unlike what occurred in Grand Cayman some 10 or so years ago, it cannot be the case that this resulted from a devastating hurricane laying waste to a number of farms around the island. This within itself may be indicative of our economic state of affairs. Maybe it is not. Who knows? What it has done is to turn me into a very unwilling owner of some random brood of fowls. They descend upon my home at the crack of dawn from somewhere and, as the sun eases in the early afternoon, they return to where they came from. My dogs have grown numb to their presence mostly over these past 18 months of their occupation. I have grown to admire their group dynamics at play. Interestingly, and quite fittingly, a recent feeding session with them played out similarly to what is unfolding in one of the island’s political parties.
Now these are more than just the typical yard fowls. However, a new but abnormally-large cock with a hanging nail found his way into the brood recently from God knows where. Let’s call him Rafael. Maybe he was from some other farm close by with plenty nutritious feed. There is also another cock, originally from this brood, that I watched grow from a very small chick. I have a semi-emotional attachment to him because he was the sole survivor of about three that I would see his mother walk around with. Sadly, his siblings are no longer with us. So he has become family over the past 18 months. The brood followed him early every morning from across the three house-sized pasture laying opposite to my home once they heard my door open. He was the first there to greet me as I pull up to my home. He crowed and then the other 15 or so would descend upon me as if they were the Avengers. They developed a routine that endeared me to them. They became familiar. I even considered not eating chicken because of dear old Ronaldo. Yes, that’s his actual name: Ronaldo.
Everything has changed these past three weeks since Rafael entered the brood. Where there was once order with its feeding, there is now a different sort of structure. Previously, Ronaldo would ensure that every chick or hen ate before he did. Maturing cocks would, however, step aside when he went for food that was thrown too close to either one of them. He was not insatiable, however, so he would never attack them if he was “full” beforehand. There was order and the brood saw Ronaldo as the alpha. Rafael’s presence has now even resulted in Ronaldo’s mother even switching allegiances to him, the larger alpha male.
Rafael is quite an affable character. Whereas Ronaldo was meek in human presence, Rafael displays an admirable amount of confidence. He is quite comfortable following me around my yard while the others look on to see what goodies he could receive from me. All but poor Ronaldo, who by now has learned that if food is being shared it is just the chicks and hens that will be fed. He will easily be chased by Rafael regardless of how far away Ronaldo and the food I throw to him would be. Imagine that. Imagine more so the fact that the brood has split into two but they tend to have a harmonious relationship once food is not involved. Very telling indeed that, once certain resources are not factored in, the need to dominate or for more power within the brood no longer applies. Rafael leaves Ronaldo alone then and only then.
This change of affairs has led to an uptake in the amount of feed (and bread) being bought and given to these chickens on a weekly basis. What is not clear is if Rafael is solely responsible by himself or it is that his influence on the group led to each consuming more. This all has made me now a less willing investor in the dietary requirements of these fowls. I am still tender towards them but definitely more resentful. Sadly so.
By now, you the reader would have a clearer idea of the political party that my observations are reminding me of. As I watched the behaviour of what has become my brood unfold, I could not help but to think of how my reactions and thoughts change with each progressively uncomfortable feeding session. Especially from the point of view of being an investor in the resources that the brood needs. If I am to also treat the brood as a mini society and, therefore, one that has a mini economy, then I can strangely put myself in the shoes of an international investor looking on. In economic theory, we tend place emphasis on political instability on the part of the government. We tend to look also at how these impact negatively the perception of a destination or jurisdiction of interest as stable. What we never do is look at the issues as democratically as possible. That is, we never take into account how discord within opposition parties also result in a country being deemed as non-investment worthy. Think of the conflicts amongst ethic groups, ably represented in cases by political parties, within the Global South. Watch how a lack of a viable opposition in the United Kingdom has led to the ruling party implementing Brexit along with other non-sensible and out of touch reforms. I question at times if what has pertained in their most recent administration can be likened to reforms. The point for me generally is that democracies generally need strong oppositions. It inspires confidence in citizens and residents. It also leads to , for small open economies, more consistent and affordable foreign direct investment in the long run.
But back to my brood for a final moment. Yesterday morning, the group dynamics broke down once more but into its worst chaos yet. There is a hen that I named Blackie for her lush black feathers. She seems to be ready to lay some eggs soon and was, up to then, favoring Ronaldo on her back while running away from Rafael every time he wished to do the same. Truthfully I can’t afford anymore feed at this point provided that those chicks hatch safely and healthily. I am, however, seriously less so inclined to feed them near my home if this level of strife worsens in the short term as well.