Any success stories of keeping a Roo in a residential area?

[MydearWatson]

Hi! I am kinda thinking I have a Roo and I would like to try and keep him. I dont have a garage to put him in at night but I was thinking of using a blackout curtain on the one window in the coop (I only have 5 chickens so its going to be a small coop). Other than that, Im not sure how to handle having a rooster and somewhat keeping the peace. It would be an Orpington Roo, btw. I am on an acre but my neighbors are close by.

Any stories out there of similar situations and how you made it work?

 

[Shannon33]

I am in a somewhat residential area, probably similar to you. I am allowed to have roosters but I did want to keep the peace so I just talked to the neighbors on either side of me first. Both said they didn't mind. I got lucky too because the rooster I have has a pretty quiet crow (although he likes to do it at odd hours)

 

[LarryPQ]

I am in a residential area, zoned agriculture, so I can have roos. We are just over a half acre, and everyone has roos.

Certain times of the year...like 18 weeks after broody time, it is like a stinkin' crow mill.

The people without chickens seem to be ok with it, sometimes bribed with eggs---but when I get 35 crowers all starting to crow at once, I let the neighbors know when I am going to be processing.


Now--since you are only going to have the one roo, your problem will be different. Really, it depends on your rooster's personality. Some rarely crow, some only at certain times of the day. Some crow all the time (soup pot those ones

)

Make nice with your immediate neighbors, and invite them to let you konw if the crowing is becomming bothersome. I bet they won't notice him unless it is "sleep with open windows" season, which is when you can bring him inside to sleep, use the blackout curtain, or whatever you decide.

 

[sophiejw]

This is a really interesting thread. I have an Australorp roo who is beautiful, but seriously noisy! I was wondering if putting him in the stable and blacking out the window might help with his crowing in the really early morning. It's my husband who has the problem with him, and now he says he's getting woken in the morning so if I could stop the early morning crowing that would be brilliant. I want to keep him and breed some more Australorps but it's not going to happen if the noise carries on

 

[valley ranch]

We can have roos but we bring ours in at night and the girls take him out in the morning. Wifey says she doesn't want to give them a reason to complain. I like the sound, it doesn't wake me.

 

[sophiejw]

I like the sound too, and quite like waking up and hearing it. Unfortunately my husband isn't the same! I will give the stable a go for Lucky Jim then. Cheers

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Roo's as opposed to buses, trash trucks, sirens, car alarms....city folk crack me up LOL!

 

[onthespot]

I think blackout curtains on the coop will be insufficient.

If I was going to try to keep one under the radar, I would build him a bunker of hay bales for nighttime, to muffle any crows. I'd keep a radio playing by him at night to muffle any sounds he might hear that woud set him off, like sirens, car alarms, dogs barking etc...

 

[MydearWatson]

Thanks for the replies! I am almost positive I have a roo now. He is very gentle so I am hoping he will be quiet too. I really dont want to give him up, he is going to be beautiful! We moved the coop location so it will be closer to the neighbor who said she doesnt mind roosters. I'm hoping I can get by with just blacking out the window and letting him out when it is more acceptable to make noise. But if he crows all day, he's going to have to go.

 

[JulieNKC]

The roo now I have is pretty quiet. The neighbors haven't complained yet, but I don't like him very much anyway so if he gets a complaint he's gone. They make me kind of nervous after the last roo I had going after my daughter. I'm hoping to get a cute banty roo out of the eggs I have now, if I do I'll keep him and if he gets noisy I'll bring him in and lock him in a dogkennel in the downstairs bathroom at night I guess. Really though, the neighborhood dogs bark way louder, and way more often, and at night more then my roo ever crows. If people start to complain bout my roo, then they'll be getting complaints about their dogs, quick.