Handlers try to coax roosters into crowing at SEMO District Fair contest

Though it wasn't the crack of dawn, roosters were crowing Saturday afternoon at the SEMO District Fair during the 4-H and FFA Rooster Crowing Contest. The third annual event was sponsored by Cape Girardeau Walmart and the SEMO District Fair. There were 10 handlers total competing.

Despite the cool and wet conditions, about 50 people came out to see what spectator Jenny Hawkins described as a "hilarious" event.

"Rooster contests can be like watching paint dry or they can be very exciting, depending on what the roosters do," spectator Jim Schweizer said.

Phyllis Sinn, superintendent of the poultry tent at the fair, said the contest shows which rooster crows the most in 20 minutes. They have to be full crows, not just squawks. The roosters had to have been preregistered and have been shown at the fair since Wednesday. Sinn described the event as "something free for people to stop and see. Free entertainment."

For the contest, roosters are placed in cages and the handler is allowed to do whatever necessary except for touch the rooster to get it to crow.

"Each handler has their own technique to make them crow," Schweizer said.

But according to 4-H member Seth Butner, "you can't make a rooster crow; therefore it's all luck."

Some handlers talked to their roosters while others tried crowing, clucking, whistling, snapping and feeding. Members of the audience were selected to sit with each rooster and count how many times it crowed. In case of a tie, a "crow-off" is held -- the first to crow in five minutes wins.

Dustin Oehl, a member of the 4-H council who volunteers to help at the fair, was master of ceremonies. Not only did he keep the audience up on the number of crows and the leading rooster throughout, he asked for volunteers to demonstrate what a crow sounds like or for suggestions on how they would get the roosters to crow.

Winners of the third annual crowing contest were Kassidy Hawkins of Cape Girardeau, first place; Leroy Kuehn of Jackson, second place; and, after a three-way crow-off, Justin Sinn of Cape Girardeau, third place.

Pertinent address:

Arena Park, Cape Girardeau, MO