'It's really heartwarming': DuPage County roosters finding new homes
The roosters at DuPage County Animal Services keep flying the coop.
Earlier this month, animal services workers put out a plea for 29 roosters in their care. On Friday afternoon, only 19 remained to be adopted. By Monday — the original deadline for adoption — only 10 remained at animal services, and two of the 10 were on hold for potential adopters.
Among the roosters available for adoption is Roger, whose bio describes him as “a rooster with a rugged and handsome look that will capture your heart!” Other roosters available include Trail Mix, Mario, Luigi, Jose, Jimmy, James and Enrique.
“It's really heartwarming,” said Laura Flamion, operations manager for DuPage County Animal Services. “It's nice to see people come together and advocate to find placement for the birds.”
Because the agency does not normally house roosters, it initially said any roosters not adopted by Monday would be euthanized. That deadline, however, has been extended as groups from around the country have expressed interest in adoption.
The roosters were among 80 birds, including roosters, hens and pigeons, placed in the care of animal services in March following an animal welfare complaint involving a dog.
A 41-year-old Lombard resident faces five misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and is scheduled to appear in DuPage County court on May 15. The case remains under investigation, but animal services officials said the roosters showed signs that they had been prepped for fighting. None of the charges, however, involve the roosters' being used to fight.
Initially, the birds remained at the Lemont property as animal services worked to find new homes for the pigeons, hens and roosters.
After the majority of birds were adopted out, the remaining roosters were moved to DuPage County Animal Services in early April. The agency took to social media to attempt to find homes for them before its initial deadline.
“It's really been a community effort,” Flamion said.
She said the agency saw a surge of activity over the weekend, and volunteers even took some roosters on a drive to meet up with an approved adopter. In one instance, a volunteer drove to Rockford to get roosters named Angel and Jeff to a volunteer from a sanctuary in Wisconsin. Another rooster made the trip to his new home in Indiana thanks to three volunteers who each took a leg of the trip.
Adoption has not been a quick process. A rooster's loud crowing makes it an unwelcome pet in many communities, so part of the adoption process has included verification that a community welcomes roosters. “Chicken math” also limits most adopters to one rooster for their flock of hens. Despite the challenges, Flamion remains hopeful all will be adopted. The agency is continuing to work beyond the deadline to match roosters with prospective adopters.
She encourages people who adopt a rooster to stay in touch and has already heard back from one family that adopted a rooster they named Anthony.
“He is fascinated by the chicks and is already very attentive to them,” the family wrote about Anthony, who is living in a pen adjacent to six chicks. “We think they will all be very happy together.”
For information about the roosters or other animals available for adoption, visit dupagecounty.gov and click on the “adopt an animal” icon. Interested adopters are asked to fill out an application online.