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ROOSTER WEATHERVANE
Rooster Weather Vane, Chanticleer, Looking Back
by West Coast Weather Vanes
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Please click on the thumbnail below to view larger images or for info on weathervane designs
Chanticleer Rooster weathervane, As an interesting aside, a customer who saw this variation on our standard Griffin weathervane was inspired to come up with their own design. They call it the “Cocktail” weathervane!
Hen & Chicks weathervane |
Rooster Weathervane, Chanticleer Rooster
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Please click on the thumbnails below for more information on these weathervanes
Chanticleer Rooster weathervane, head facing forward
Fierce Rooster weathervane
Traditional Rooster Weathervane
Phoenix Bantam Rooster |
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The Chanticleer Rooster weathervane featured here was made in copper with gold leafed accents. On this particular weathervane, we gilded the beak, neck ruff, and legs. We have made this rooster with red eyes or yellow eyes depending on our customer’s preferences. In many Asian cultures, the rooster is a symbol for prosperity and good luck. We recently finished one of these weathervanes as a wedding gift for a couple in Malaysia. Because of its rich symbolic appeal in many different cultures, it has been popular as a house warming gift, birthday present or anniversary gift (the seventh anniversary is the copper anniversary), and Christmas present.
Because rooster weathervanes are so popular, we wanted to offer something a little different than the status quo so I bided my time in designing one until I felt I had a really good idea. We took a lot of kidding from our weathervane making counterparts back East for already having over fifty designs (at that time) but still no rooster.
One weekend my husband, Ken, and I were visiting the Asian Art Museum (a truly remarkable museum if you are ever visiting San Francisco) and saw a wonderful exhibit of Zen paintings. There in front of me was a watercolor, comprised of just three or four brushstrokes, showing one of the most elegant roosters I'd ever seen, with his head turned gracefully to look back over his shoulder. That painting ended up being the inspiration for this weathervane design!
Rooster weathervanes have been traditional favorites for centuries. We offer several different rooster weathervane designs (see photos below). The Chanticleer Rooster weathervane pictured above was one of our first rooster weathervane designs but we had already been making handmade copper weathervanes for about five years before we introduced it.
Chanticleer is the French word for rooster and rooster weathervanes have featured prominently in French history; appearing on church steeples and towers for well over 1000 years. The rooster is Saint Peter's symbol (based on his denying Jesus three times before the cock crowed) so is often associated with him, particularly in Europe. In the Victorian Era here in America, when copper weathervanes were at their height of popularity, many people lived in rural environments and displayed weathervanes that represented aspects of their daily life. The rooster (along with cows and horses) was a natural subject and what better place to put a rooster weathervane than up on top of the farm house or barn where it could be the first to greet the new day!
A cock is a male chicken, the female being a hen. A young cock is called a rooster or a cockerel. The term "rooster" is reputedly so used because the cock is said to roost over clutches of eggs to guard them. In fact, "roosting" is the action of perching aloft to sleep at night, and is done by both sexes. The cock is non-monogamous, and can guard several nests of eggs at once. He guards the general area where his hens are nesting, and will attack other roosters who enter his territory. During the daytime, he often sits on a high perch, usually 4-5 feet off the ground, to serve as a lookout for his flock. He will sound a distinctive alarm call if predators are nearby.
As a "guard", a Rooster weathervane is a perfect choice for placing on top of a fence post, barn or home. From there, it can keep an eye on things and make sure all remains well with its world. This protective function is one of the reasons why Rooster weather vanes have graced the top of structures for over a thousand years. If you are ever fortunate enough to travel in Europe, you will see numerous examples of Cockerel weathervanes in both cities and rural villages, vigilantly surveying their domains. Reflecting on its long history in Europe, we call this particular rooster vane our Chanticleer weathervane, chanticleer being the French word for rooster.
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Click Rooster Weathervane pricing information for pricing information on this Rooster weather vane.
Click here if you need help determining the correct size weather vane for you situation.
Click here if you would like suggestions on various methods of installing a weathervane.
Click here (if applicable to this weathervane) to view our weathervane eye color selection chart.
Click here for more information on gold leafing a weather vane.
Click here for more information about how we can personalize a weathervane.
If you are interested, here are images of some of our other Rooster weathervane designs
(click on any of the images for more information about them):
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Because we specialize in custom copper weathervanes, we can make different breeds of chickens, depending on our client's preferences. The Phoenix Bantam Rooster weathervane pictured above was made for a breeder. These roosters can grown tails that are up to six feet long! The customer who commissioned this weathervane ordered it in the small size and put it on top of her chicken coop. We could certainly do other chicken breeds such as Ancona, Araucana, Leghorn, Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock chickens to name but a few. Here is a link if you would like to know more about commissioning a rooster weathervane from West Coast Weather Vanes: commission a rooster weathervane.
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 Chanticleer Rooster weathervane, customer photo |
Rooster Weathervane, Medium
Rooster Weathervane on Barn
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To the left are three photos graciously sent to us by our customers after installing their Chanticleer Rooster weathervanes. You can click on any of these photos to get an enlarged view of the weathervanes. The rooster weathervane on the barn cupola is one of our Large (3 foot) weathervanes. The rooster weathervane with the trees in the background is one of our Medium (2 foot) weathervanes.
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Ordering Information:
To place an order, please call us at (831) 425-5505.
At the time you call, we will provide you with an estimated completion date.
At the time the order is placed, a deposit of 1/3 is due. Upon receipt of the deposit, time will be reserved in our schedule. The balance is due when the weather vane has been completed and prior to shipping. Deposits can be made with Visa, MasterCard or check.
All West Coast Weather Vanes are custom made for the person who orders them.
PDF booklet with information on all our rooster weathervanes
If you have a website that features Roosters, please contact us about exchanging web links.
Here are some interesting websites that relate to Roosters: