WAKE UP CALL

over 30 years os showing chooks has left me with some wonderfull memories, I will endeavour to share some when time permits, a favourite story happened on a long interstate journey to sth aust many years ago. I travelled with my very successfull friend and his large fowl, we stopped off the first night after about 700 km, the birds were all in the back of my friends sigma station wagon, we would refresh them at truck stops with a large roll of wire put out onto the grass where they could be fed and watered, this works very well if your chickens are heavy breed and not flighty. the next day we stopped in at Balranald, at a motor inn to book for the return journey in two nights time, we figured after the show we could travel back east about 6 hrs, we thought we would prepay so as not to miss getting a key that night, the owner of the inn was most accomadating, suggesting that a key for the room would be left under the mat of the room nominated and booked, we would even be able to leave early to keep the journey going having already paid. everything was thus settled until the sound of all our roosters came from the car. some amount of horror was seen on the gentlemans face, we suggested that the car could be parked out in the street away from the inn, and its sleeping patrons, this was agreed upon, and off we went to our show.having arrived that same evening and penning our birds, we were well looked after by our billet, dissapointingly my bantams were the only ones to appear at the next days show, of my particular breed, they were known to exist over there and it was a big annisversary show. we had a great time anyway, and after two great days of the show we left that evening to head back east, to get to our lodgings by a reasonable hour, the road out of Adelaide ends up pretty straight, with lots of wild life on the road, the road is cleared well back to the scrub so vision is very good, the trick is when roos are spotted not to change pace ,the engine making such sudden thrusts or ebbs in noise is what spooks them, it is much better to keep going at the pace you are on, they seem oblivios to you more this way, rabbits and mice are different but they do less damage.
after about 5 hours we arrived that night very late at our accomadtion, we were pleasantly surprised to find not only our key waiting under the mat but a great warmth from the airconditioner that had been left on for us.having left our car out in the steet after unloading what we needed ,we had our showers ,some refreshment ,conversation, and went to bed. after these long days and busy shedules, helping with stewarding, cards etc,and all the driving, sleep came pretty easy and we were out very quick indeed.
imagine our horror to be awoken by the sound of roosters crowing,only a few hours later, 3.00am. how could this be ,we dont get woken by the early morning sounds of our own places, it must be guilt that woke us.but surely our birds were just as tired and no way could they make so much noise from behind the glass, more than 600m away behind fences, other cars and trucks.
we jumped out of our bunks smirking at each other at the trouble we would be in, lets just pack up and go.we have had some sleep, trouble would be worse, the inn was pretty full, all these people waking up, our room would be swamped by upset patrons, eventually, we could make a run for the car but we had to carry a couple of loads , to get there.
right we'll have to go, there making a lot of racket, but hold on a minute, the birds we have are parked to our left, we can hear roosters crowing straight ahead. ok lets have a look , out the door we roamed to be greeted with the early morning corous from every backyard backing on to the carpark of the motor-inn, to our left ,to our right, straight out the back, the only birds not making a sound were our own, still asleep in the car, not quit having heard and answered the onslaught outside.this mgr must not reside here we thought, or else he is a very good sleeper.
having gone back to bed to get a few more hours sleep we continued our journey, the problem of roosters overnight in motel car parks would be known to most show people, this story is a bit left field, but we all have such story's I'm sure.