A male that doesn't crow at 5AM

[jmeeter88]

OK, please don't laugh at this because I am completely new to chickens.

As I understand it, chickens are not asexual, therefore needing both a male *and* female to reproduce. Also, please correct me if I am wrong, but the males (roosters) are notorious for crowing at sunrise. Is there such a thing as a rooster that doesn't do that?

 

[ChooksinIowa]

Yes, you need a male and a female to have fertile eggs that would hatch. If you just want to have eggs to eat, you only need females. The females will lay eggs regardless of whether you have a rooster or not. It's just that they won't hatch.

The roo question - I only have 1 roo, bantam, and he crows, quietly, around 7 am.

Claire

 

[fullhouse]

All rosters crow, sorry. 3am, 5am, 10am, mid afternoon, evening, whenever they want.

You don't need a roo for eggs, just fertilized eggs.

 

[jmeeter88]

*huge sigh of relief*

For a second I thought my entire dream of living off the grid and living self-sufficiently had been smashed to pieces! Haha, but seriously, I am happy to find out that you do not need a rooster to produce eggs! I know my neighbors would most certainly not appreciate a rooster crowing at daybreak...

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

No boys required!

I ended up with two roos in my pullet only hatchery order. One is a mille fleur bantum and the other a honkin' big buff orpington. They are still young, but the bantum crows mostly in the afternoon. I only hear him in the morning is I am up already. He never wakes me up and I'm a very light sleeper. The coop is maybe 30 feet from a window and we aren't double-paned here!
The buff orp has only recently started crowing as well and it's not terribly loud either. Perhaps they will get louder as they age. Dunno.

I have to say that I didn't want roosters, but these two are a hoot! They have the best personalities for entertainment value and are quite fun to have about. They also are keeping an eye on the girls for me, a great thing as we have hawks about.

Of course, my neighbors all have cows and sheep and dogs and whatnot that are really loud at the crack of dawn, so there is no complaining about my tiny roos.

 

[herechickchick]

Not to burst your bubble and it really is not an issue but hens can be UNBELIEVABLY loud at times. Please do not think they are always quiet, they have their moments and it is usually early in the morning as well when they start squawking.

 

[lleighmay]

My 13 wk old SLW roo Dexter has been practicing for several weeks and finally sounds like an actually rooster (instead of a strangled chicken) but he very politely only crows from 8am-9am

Of course I realize that can change at any time. I didn't want a roo but he was in my all-pullet order and I've decided to keep him because I enjoy his dorky personality. I do live in the country so cattle and tractors and coyotes etc. are all making much more noise 24/7 than he is and my only close neighbor (92 yoa) loves chickens and says if he does make enough noise for her to hear across the road it will just remind her of being a little girl again.

 

[jmeeter88]

Quote:
Would my neighbor be able to hear them clucking from across the street? The chickens will be behind my house, approx 80 feet from the road, and then the neighbors house is probably 25 feet from the road on the other side.

 

[lleighmay]

I would think at that distance any chicken noise they could hear wouldn't be any louder than songbirds and passing traffic. Are chickens "illegal" where you are? Have your neighbors objected in advance? If you haven't talked to them maybe you should; you could be worrying needlessly. The promise of occasional free eggs can be very attractive too.....

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
My hens can be heard making their morning squawking fuss a few city block lengths away.

Also - it is not unusual for the absence of a rooster to cause a hen to start to crow.