Henry the rooster has found a home, but puzzled residents continue to report crowing long after his departure, leading authorities to a second rooster.
Last week The Examiner reported on the cheeky chicken’s escapades around Armadale, after local resident Mervyn Mundy received a notice from the City of Armadale to remove the rooster from his property due to noise complaints.
But Mr Mundy claimed the ‘quiet’ rooster was not his and launched a campaign to find the homeless Henry a haven for his retirement.
On Saturday, his wishes came true when an Environmental Health Officer at the council contacted Mr Mundy to inform him that a farm in Brookton had decided to adopt the plucky poulet.
According to Mr Mundy, Henry’s new foster-parents read the article in The Examiner and contacted the council.
An officer from the city, along with a ranger and Henry’s new foster farmers met with Mr Mundy on Saturday evening to remove the rooster.
“Henry was that gullible that I had already lured him into a cage with some food,” said Mr Mundy.
But a local resident told The Examiner that he continues to hear a rooster crowing in the neighbourhood and has contacted the City of Armadale to get to the bottom of the matter.
“The council told me on Friday that they were picking up the rooster on Saturday, but all Saturday night, Sunday, Monday I can hear crowing,” said the resident, who wished to remain nameless.
As it turns out, Henry may have taken the fall for another fowl.
“I called the council about it, I want to find out where it is because I’m sick of it,” said the resident.
On Monday, as the mystery unravelled, a spokesperson from the City of Armadale confirmed that Henry had been relocated, and that an investigation was afoot to verify another rooster’s whereabouts.
“Henry the rooster was rehomed to a farm in Brookton at the weekend,” said the spokesperson.
“The City’s Environmental Health Officers are aware of another nuisance rooster in the area and are currently investigating.”
Mr Mundy was perplexed, saying he had not heard another rooster at all since Henry was relocated on Saturday.
“It must be someone else’s, unless they can hear Henry from all the way up in Brookton,” he said.
“There’s certainly no other rooster here.”
One resident though he was going crazy.
“I spoke to the council and the man I spoke to said ‘I was there when we picked him up, he’s definitely gone,’ but I sat there with my window wide open, hearing the crowing and thinking, ‘am I going crazy?’”
On Tuesday the resident reported that the second rooster – and real rabble-rouser – had been identified.
“I just got a call saying they found another rooster at a different property, so they’ve given them 14 days to get rid of that one.”
The City of Armadale confirmed they had issued a notice at a new property.
Mr Mundy said he was happy that Henry had found a home, even if he may have taken the fall for another feathered offender.
“He will live out his days in the company of 20 chickens, with no other roosters to cramp his style,” he said.
“Whether he is up to it, I don’t know. He has been celibate for 10 years. I don’t know how good he is with the ladies,” said Mr Mundy.
Henry’s new owners report that he is happy and comfortable and settling in well to his new country home.
