This ‘feathery’ Merced pet is a finalist in a national PETA competition
A Merced resident has been named a finalist in a national competition, and his family is asking for your vote.
But unlike other residents, this to-be-famous “feathery” finalist clucks and rules the roost at his home, according to a PETA news release.
The goal of the competition was to highlight chickens as “unique individuals with sparkling personalities” rather than just food on the dinner plate, according to PETA, an animal advocacy organization.
Mr. Rooster and two hen companions were gifted to Merced resident Nati Calderon and her father.
The farm they came from bred chickens to sell for consumption, Calderon told the Sun-Star. But after a couple weeks with the family, she said the three chickens had warmed up to the family, especially her elderly father.
Mr. Rooster, large among his peers, is a leader among the family’s many pets, joining the dogs to greet guests and bending down grape branches so the smaller chickens can reach and eat them before taking some himself, Calderon said.
Students at nearby Tenaya Middle School often come to check on the “big rooster” in the yard.
“Roosters get a bad rap,” Calderon said, noting the negative perceptions from cockfighting. “But if you get them at a young age, they can be raised to bond and grow up to be very gentle.”
Mr. Rooster faces nine other finalists in the competition hailing from around the country including Rhode Island, Ohio, Kansas and Michigan.
The winning chicken will be featured in a PETA ad and magazine along with receiving a gift basket of toys and treats, and a framed award and prize pack for the guardian
“I’d like Mr. Rooster to be a spokesman for this contest to show that you can have pets of any type of species,” Calderon said.
Fans of Mr. Rooster can vote for him at the contest site here: https://www.peta.org/features/make-your-chicken-a-star/vote/#vote. Voting ends Dec. 6 with the winner to be announced Dec. 9.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 2:09 PM.