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The fastest rooster won.

While the rooster crowing contest at the Northwest Montana Fair in Kalispell wasn’t a foot race, Kayla Ekern’s 1 1/2-year-old Polish Cross rooster crowed three times before Colton Oedekoven’s Crele Old English Game Bantam let a trio of crows fly to claim top honors Friday.

Ekern’s rooster, Hei Hei, was a standout in appearance among the 15 feathered fowl that unwittingly competed for the championship ribbon at the poultry and rabbit barn.

Ekern, of Kalispell, stood quietly in front of the bird’s cage, explaining that “he doesn’t respond much to anything I’d do, but he’s OK with me just standing there.”

Hei Hei and Oedekoven’s rooster, Smoke Fire, both had their owners in attendance, which may have given them a better chance at the ribbon over some of the roosters whose owners were elsewhere.

The roosters remained in their cages while some owners and volunteers stood next to them to count how many times they sounded off in a six-minute-span.

While Smoke Fire may have been a runner-up, he did have a pretty good showing, claiming ribbons for best of breed and reserve champion.

Amanda Oedekoven, who helped run the calling contest, also explained a new project — a silent auction — this year in the poultry and rabbit barn.

“It gives the kids a chance to compete in raising chickens or rabbits and then have a chance to market them the way the others do for bigger animals,” she said.

Available in the poultry and rabbit barn are two pens, each containing three rabbits, one pen of chickens and two single fryer rabbits.

The silent auction ends at noon Sunday. Winning bidders have three choices for their poultry or rabbits. The buyer can take the critter home at the end of the fair, the buyer can have the youth take the animal home, process the meat and deliver the finished product, or the buyer can donate the animal back to the youth.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker can be reached at (406) 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.