Brick Township Bans New Roosters, and I Had No Idea Jersey Had a Rooster Problem

Crowing is Brick's second-biggest complaint, according to the township. The roosters already there get to stay. New ones don't.

A rooster in a blue bathrobe glares at a no-roosters sign while hens in party hats throw him a farewell party at sunrise.
The hens threw him a farewell party. Joke's on them: he's grandfathered in. Illustration: State of Laughs

Quick question: how loud does one bird have to be before an entire town ranks him?

Because Brick Township just banned new roosters, and the township says crowing is its second-biggest complaint. Second. Out of every single thing a Jersey town can get mad about.

This bird is a contender.

Think about who he had to beat. Every leaf blower. Every car alarm. Every guy who practices drums in his garage with the door open. A chicken walked into that field and medaled. I picture him on a tiny podium, silver medal around his neck, crowing at the medal. Now he's training for gold. He's doing sprints in the yard. He hired a goose as a coach.