On a cold, dark night at a rural pound, a young rooster was shoved into a drop box. The door was closed behind him and deadlocked. There was no food, no water, just the cold metal floor under his feet and darkness. What must he have been thinking? “What did I do wrong? Cock-a-doodle-doo!” This glorious sound was probably what landed him here.
Morning came and he heard footsteps. A kind pound worker opened the door to his dark cold, cell. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” “Another rooster” sighed the pound worker.
For weeks, this rooster would stand up tall and look as handsome as possible when cars pulled up with people looking to adopt a pet. Sadly no one even looked in the direction of all the dumped roosters, proudly prancing up and down their cages trying to impress.
One day a ute pulled up and someone got out, with carry cages, filled with fresh straw. He was scooped up and told how handsome he was, and gently placed in the straw bed. He squealed with excitement when he found a bowl of delicious food and began happily tidbitting to everyone who could hear.
After a long drive, he found himself with beautiful green grass under his feet and access to fresh water, nourishing food, treats and a warm, safe bedroom. He was given a big cuddle, “Clark Kent - welcome to Head Over Hooves Farm Haven.”
Clark Kent has spent the last 2.5 years being an ambassador for roosters. He graciously greets every visitor to Head Over Hooves, happily poses for photos with his new fans and proudly shows everyone how he takes care of his flock. One heart at a time, Clark Kent is building a rooster advocate army.
Roosters are one of the most dumped animals, defenceless and left to fend for themselves with many predators, foxes, dingoes, cats, goannas, and pythons and, sadly, people. They are the Unsung heroes of the Fowl kingdom. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!!”
You can help Clark care for and feed the flock at Head Over Hooves by chipping in for chicken feed.
PS. Rooster Tidbitting is the dancing and vocalization patterns that a rooster performs to attract a mate — is wonderful to watch, and it is so much fun to see the rooster and hen interact. A tidbitting roor bobs his head up and down while picking up tiny bits of food, dropping them, and repeating.