Huh...

[shipperx]

Either moonshine causes hallucinations or...

I swear to God, this morning at 4:30-5:00am, I heard a rooster!

No foolin'.

I live in an odd little area that fifteen years ago was rural but in the time since then has been taken over by the city of Hoover, and my area has grown quite commercial. But there are still vestiges of the old  (About three miles from my house I pass a mini-farm with a field of goats every morning on the drive to work.  Little baby goats are adorable.  But that's in the Indian Springs area that wasn't taken over by Hoover, and Indian Springs refuses to grant any commercial building permits, so they're deliberately choosing to retain the rural aspect there.)   

So anyway, these days my immediate area is somewhat diverse.  My subdivision is small garden homes backed by an apartment complex on a small lake,  but across the street is a fire station and a post office.  Meanwhile, quite close (like walking distance) are a couple of banks, a Methodist church, a bakery, a dentist's office, a chiropractor, a Thai restaurant, a few shops, etc.  Meanwhile there are still houses around that have actual acreage around them.  There's one on sale down the street with 4 acres of land (and I've actually seen them with chickens in their yard so they'd be the prime suspect for the morning rooster... except that house is just a little too far away).

So I'm thinking... the vets office? Maybe? That's close, just the other side of the fence from my neighbor across the street.  

Either that or someone on the hill next to the fire station has bought chickens.

Because I swear to God I heard a rooster crowing at dawn this morning!   

Either that, or I was hallucinating (but it was really a rooster crowing). Weird.

Comments

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be surprised if they were really chickens. I have a couple of neighbors with chickens; and I'm in an urban area of a large city. the whole urban farmer thing is popular at the moment, though very controversial. At least here in Seattle there are regulations against owning chickens inside the city limits, but like I said. Several neighbors with chickens anyway...

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I live in an area where... good luck figuring out the city limits.

Fifteen years ago it was all 'unincorporated county', but this area grew residentially like gangbusters in the 1990s. Birmingham snaked out and got one part of it. Vestavia came around the back and snagged another part. But Hoover, grabbed the lion's share. So most of the area is Hoover, but pockets, like my particular subdivision remain 'unincorporated' though completely surrounded by the city of Hoover. We're neither commercial nor large enough in housing (nor a large subdivision with only 50 houses) to present much of a inducement to Hoover, so we're left to the county.

I had a wreck several years ago and the Hoover police, the Shelby County Deputy, and a Birmingham Fire department arrived. And even they had no idea under whose jurisdiction the area fell in, saying that someone would call me when they figured it out and when I could pick up the accident report).

So while mostly the area around me (and ALL of the commecial) is Hoover, most of the residual housing are actually pockets of unincorporated county.

So basically, I think they could raise chickens if they wanted.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Best Friend had a neighbor with a rooster, the daffy thing used to crow all the time. And we're not even remotely rural, we're a mile from Detroit.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

SInce I've heard him every morning since... I think there's very definitely a rooster. :)

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

Lots of folks in our area of Central Phoenix keep chickens (from the ritzy big houses all the way to the more "barrio" housing). It's never a surprise to me when I hear roosters! Since it is growing in popularity, maybe someone in your area decided to join the free-range craze.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I assume so. I've heard him every morning since Thanksgiving. :)

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

I'm betting it was a rooster. They tend to crow anywhere from 5am to 6 am so yeah, if you thought you heard one, you probably did.

It's a very distinctive sound.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

It's definitely a rooster. I've heard him every morning since.

[meko00.livejournal.com]

I'd like to know what you consider "walking distance". Because it takes about 30 minutes for me to walk to the city centre, and that's a short walk, in my view. When I walk for fun, recreation and excecise, 40-50 minutes is the minimum amount of time I'm walking.

My bet's probably the vet's office.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm talking about less than 1/2 mile. They're close.

[meko00.livejournal.com]

OK, this European language major has a headcold and wishes for the American architect (my father, his brother and my paternal uncle's eldest son are architects) to please use the metric system.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

About. 1/2 km, more or less.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Well, unless it was just visiting, you're likely to hear it again!

Around here, we can have up to five hens, but no roosters... and a surprising number of people having backyard coops (including a friend of mine).

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I doubt that it's visiting. I've heard it every morning since.

[kitmarlowescot2.livejournal.com]

Yep urban chickens are coming back and very popular. So you probably did hear a rooster. I am thinking of getting a few hens, but I don't think for another few years. So someone probably does have a rooster, maybe even a secret rooster if they are illegal. Yep lots of places will allow you to keep hens from as few as three to as many as 20. But alot of places ban roosters, they can be annoying but no worse than barking dogs. Banty roosters are the worse they crow more than the big ones. Though in the city if you do keep a rooster it's more like to be a banty, silkies and serama's are quite possible. Some chicken people can be a bit well...odd. Espically those who keep house chickens.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Last summer I noticed that a house near here had three in the yard. But this has to be close than that house was because I hear him every morning.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hee. I used to walk past Roosters and chickens on my way home from a publishing company in the Bronx,NY just up the hill from Yankee Stadium. If you came to work early enough in the morning? You'd hear it crow. Always found it to be a bit odd...considering it was in the middle of the city.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Someone has definitely bought chickens. I've heard the rooster every morning since.

[thedabara-cds.livejournal.com]

Here in Minneapolis (the biggest metro area in the state) there's a whole subculture of keeping unlicensed chickens. The twin cities lets you keep chickens but the license to do so is a bit steep. (A friend of mine found a lost rooster in her yard once.) You should search online sometime just for laughs; the modern urban chicken coop is appallingly expensive, but wow some chickens are frightfully well-pampered!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Heh. Have no idea of the coop or who actually has the chickens. but there is very definitely a rooster who has residence nearby.

[rahirah]

I live smack dab in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the country, and I know of at least three houses within a mile of us who keep chickens (I grew up with chickens next door!) so I wouldn't be at all surprised if you had some stealth chickens there!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Definitely some stealth chickens... only given his morning crowing... not so stealth!