Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Rooster crowing contest champions!

Sorry for taking so long to post this! We had an absolute blast at the Harvest Festival at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum on Sunday. They held their first Rooster Crowing Contest. Guess who tied for first place?


Yep, our rooster Errol Flynn! Thank you to our friend Christina for this nice photo of us.


Here he is with some of the local paparazzi....



Sunday morning, we packed up Beaker, Lord Gaga, and Errol Flynn and drove them up to the museum. They were good as gold in the car!



The weather was perfect!



We got the boys settled in their cages. Gordon was a proud papa!




Our friend Christina (right) and her friend Hannah came with a banner to cheer on Beaker! Thank you, wonderful ladies!

Now, I would have put all my money on Beaker, but nope, it was Errol who took first. And guess who came in second? Lord Gaga (who we neglected to photograph, but I have some video for a later post!) I was one proud mama. They weren't the only winners. Because I have absolutely no shame, and am more than happy to humiliate myself in public, I entered the human rooster crowing contest. I am proud to say I won! Yep, all that crowing to my boys in the coop paid off. And my prize?


A wonderful Chantecler rooster named McGuinty (after our current Ontario premier, Dalton McGuinty, who is not at his most popular right now!)

Chanteclers are a rare breed that originated in Oka, Quebec. I have been wanting a few for some time, and guess what? I am also getting two Chantecler chicks in the spring! Two of the farmers there had a side bet over who would win the contest, and as a result, I won two chicks. 

Our other prizes were a painting of a rooster, and a chainsaw carving by talented Gerdine Van Woudenberg.


There quite a few roosters entered...


Fred, however was neither a rooster nor alive. But this stuffed hen had me fooled for a good ten minutes! I was wondering why Fred was so relaxed!



Bang Bang was a handsome devil, but alas, he didn't win.


I'm pleased that I'm not the only one giving my roosters creative names. Captain Cook was a handsome little man.



"Pete the Avenger" lorded it over Beaker and Errol!


And I loved this one...


...Captain America, a rather shy Silkie! Loved the signage, Todd and Tyler!


And as if the roosters weren't enough, our darling godson Ben and his parents showed up. Ben has teeth now, and likes to ride around on Daddy's shoulders. 



He also loves being held upside-down. Future gymnast, perhaps?



Yes, I have the cutest, sweetest godson on the planet! I'm very fond of his Maman and Papa too.


Another handsome rooster.


And our friend Mac entered his rooster Rocky!


Alas, Rocky kept quiet, no doubt rendered speechless by Beaker's rooster perfection in the cage next to him!



Great prizes for the winners!


I think there were 15 or so roosters. A very good turnout!



And the Harvest Festival is not complete without a pipe and drum band. The Quigley Highlanders were very impressive!




What a ton of fun the contest was!


I stole this photo off my friend Evlyn's blog. She did two great posts on the festival with lovely photos. Check them out here and here.


Such proud chicken-parents!

McGinty the Chantecler is fitting in amazingly well. You hear all these horror stories about too many roosters, but my three have always gotten along well. Today was the first day I let McGinty loose with the others, and they are doing just fine together! What a nice bunch of roo-boys.

Can't wait until next year's Rooster Crowing spectacle! Video to follow.





40 comments:

  1. Excellent! Here's to your melodious and handsome roosters.

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    1. Why thank you! They aren't afraid to speak up!

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  2. WOWEE, those roosters would turn a few chickens heads!! Well done on the rooster calling comp!
    Jane x

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    1. THey are some good lookin' boys!

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  3. Errol Flynn is not only good looking but very talented!
    I love, love, love, love roosters!!!!! Congratulations!

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    1. Aren't roosters great? I'm so glad mine all get along reasonably well!

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  4. Well, didn't they do you proud. Did they get a ribbon? They would look cool hanging in the coop. Hope you have a mantel for the big chicken. Deb

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    1. No ribbons, alas, but I should suggest that for next year!

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  5. That's a fabulous post. My first Rooster crowing contest attendance experience! I can hardly wait for the video!

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  6. All those roosters were beautiful! What a fun day. Congratulations. Does the video have your human crowing on it????

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    1. The ever-attentive (not sarcasm) Gordon turned off the camera RIGHT before I crowed!! However you can hear me crowing later on the video, which I will post soon!

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  7. This sounds like it was a real hoot! I'm sure you had fun as it comes across in the post.

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  8. What's the secret of getting them to crow at the right moment? My experience of animals is that they NEVER do what you want them to do at the right moment!

    Congratulations.

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    1. It was funny because at first, they were all so freaked out, none of them made a peep. Finally the MC had everyone move back and be silent. All of sudden, everyone started crowing! :) My guys crow on and off all day long.

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  9. Were those inventions of The Devil - the bagpipes - used to torture the roosters into crowing?

    Looks like a big, happy, sunny event!

    Conga rats!

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    1. No, they were near the horse parade (poor horses!) but come to think of it, we might have gotten more crowing had they been closer to the roosters!

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  10. Congratulations to both of you and thank you for sharing all those beautiful photos.

    Hugs

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  11. That looks like FUN! Congratulations Errol! My lady says she's love some Chanticlers some day. Lovely breed! I think that chicken people might have some of the same sense of humor that goatie people have! Weeee!

    Say, remember that TODAY is "International Talk Like a Pirate Day". I can sort-of do that....."Maaaaaa-rrrrrrrrr".

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    1. Arrrrrrgh, Isobelle, Chanteclers are most lovely! McGuinty is a nice boy who has fit right in. And you make an excellent pirate!

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  12. This whole column was a ton of fun to read. All the roosters are beautiful and some more amazing than others.

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    1. I really like them. To think we didn't have any for the first year of chicken ownership!

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  13. Anonymous11:05 am

    What fun! What a variety of roosters. Not only Errol won crowing, but so did you! (Got a chuckle out of that.) Is the pipe and drum band a common fixture at events like this? (I do like a good pipe and drum.)

    Janet

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    1. Around here they seem to be at every event! We live in an area lousy with Scottish descendants. They are very big on all things Scottish! :) I'm married to the son of Glaswegians.

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  14. Congratulations to both you and the Roosters !
    Looks like lot of fun on the Harvest Festival :)

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  15. Will you still have anything to do with us "little people" now that your rooster is famous?

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    1. But of course! I can't forget the people who got me where I am today, LOL!

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  16. What a lot of fun! The roosters are really beautiful.

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    1. Aren't they? So many gorgeous variations!

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  17. Hey Natalie, congratulations to you and the roosters......how much fun was this event and what a hoot?
    Looks like it was a beautiful day too...
    So good all your roosters get on well together, I was wondering ......
    Ben is such a cutie too, a great day all round....

    Claire :}

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    1. I'm pleased they all get along. Even the new guy seems to be doing fine in the mix. It helps that they have a lot of outdoor space (the ducks and chickens share a run now) in the good weather.

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  18. I would have loved to have seen you crowing!
    Congratulations to you both.

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    1. I think my musical training comes in handy. Lots of lung power from years of playing clarinet, plus a good ear for imitation, and I'll do anything to win a prize... no shame!

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  19. Anonymous2:25 pm

    Best smile of the day by far!

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    1. Excellent! I really had a blast. Can't wait until next year!!

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  20. I'm reading your posts backwards! Congratulations on all the honors bestowed upon you and yours... and the valuable prizes! McGuinty is gorgeous, but George is more my speed. I am really enjoying your posts!

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    1. So glad you're enjoying them, Mitchell. McGuinty has turned out to be a really nice boy. A lover, not a fighter!

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!