Rooster powered sales

Six years ago I thought it would be fun to bring my bantam rooster to the farmers market. People love animals and the farm that I was interning on was happy to have the attraction at their booth. He was a little blind and deaf and never thought to hop of the sign and go anywhere, a container of sani-wipes kept everything clean.

Now seven years later I have helped seven roosters find a job selling veggies, meat and eggs at the market. My big Dominique Bob had some lungs on him and market started at 8 in a downtown area. Needless to say he made many people aware of the market, folks that lived around the corner and never knew the market existed until Bob lured them in with his territory claiming calls.

My end of the market is where they stuck all the new vendors, the less established and unknown, soon with rooster on sign, our end of the market was always well populated with lines to my salad mixes and lines to feed the rooster cookies or greens. Often I heard that a customer would not be able to shop the market if it weren’t for the rooster, otherwise the children had no interest in coming, some even go on to tell how now the kids look forward to the fresh veggies and are happy to have a say in what is purchased.

It is very easy to train a cock bird to this job. A docile animal in nature with limited handling can do it. It usually only takes jumping off of the sign once or twice on a busy day into the crowd of moving feet, dogs and children to make them appreciate the eye level perch that the sign offers. If any one has the opportunity to stop in and experience the Troy Waterfront market with its 60+ vendors, you can’t help but say hi to the current greeter just across from the market tent at Our Farm CSA, its worth the trip.