Judge says crowing Oregon rooster must go

In this taken Nov. 11, 2014 photo, Mr. Rooster, an endangered white sultan, stands in the Cornelius, Ore., backyard of his owner, Megan Keller. Keller has gotten more than she bargained for from the fowl, who lives in her Cornelius backyard. Together with her husband, Dan, Keller has accumulated six noise citations in five months as a result of Mr. Rooster's crowing. At a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 19, Dan and Megan Keller could be fined as much as $3,000. Keller has outfitted the bird with a rooster collar, a snug-fitting band that restricts vocal cord movement and turns his crow into an elongated belch. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Dillon Pilorget) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; NO LOCAL INTERNET; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT In this taken Nov. 11, 2014 photo, Mr. Rooster, an endangered white sultan, stands in the Cornelius, Ore., backyard of his owner, Megan Keller. Keller has gotten more than she bargained for from the fowl, who lives in her Cornelius backyard. Together with her husband, Dan, Keller has accumulated six noise citations in five months as a result of Mr. Rooster's crowing. At a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 19, Dan and Megan Keller could be fined as much as $3,000. Keller has outfitted the bird with a rooster collar, a snug-fitting band that restricts vocal cord movement and turns his crow into an elongated belch. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Dillon Pilorget) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; NO LOCAL INTERNET; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT

By Associated Press November 20, 2014 3 min read

CORNELIUS, Ore. (AP) – It was just the first of Mr. Rooster’s problems that he was first believed to be a Ms.

His crowing has given him away, though, and his owner in Cornelius has been dinged six times in five months for violating city ordinances.

On Wednesday, a judge ordered Megan Keller to find the bird a new home – within a week, KPTV reported. She could also be facing some hefty fines. Three of the noise citations could cost Keller as much as $3,000, although the judge indicated the fines could be reduced if Mr. Rooster finds a new abode.

Keller said she thought she was buying two females at Easter time in 2012 for her granddaughters to show at 4-H. But one proved to be a male.

Keller told The Oregonian that the birds had arrived during a tough patch in her life, and “those two brought me a lot of comfort.”