Backyard rooster

[K. Kolberg]

Hello!! so this is my first post on this website, I actually have had backyard chickens for several years. the problem I have is this. This year we just got a brand new flock of chicks. They are about 2-3 months old. Now, every time we get new chicks we always accidentally get at least one rooster. Aaannnndddd.... we are in a neighborhood so we always have to get rid of them. It has always been my dream to hatch baby chicks. Here is the thing, we got 12 chicks, then one died, so we got two more and it was a new batch of chicks with different breeds and we got a black and white speckled one and a Cochin bantam. I really like the Cochin bantam but sadly, I have found out that it is a rooster, I have been searching for solutions. I found out about the no crow rooster collar, do you all think that that will work and be safe for the rooster?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

There are a few threads about them. I don't like them. They basically strangle the rooster every time he tries to crow. Some have been strangled to death. A rooster lives to crow, so trying to stop that seem cruel to me, especially in that manner. I'm a big fan of bantam cochin roosters, have a few myself, they enjoy crowing.

Do a search of this site to find a few discussions about their use.

 

[Mrs. K]

You can have chicks without a rooster, but of course, you will have roosters in your hatch. Either buy fertilized eggs and use a broody hen or incubator. It is rather easy to get eggs. Or you can buy baby chicks.

 

[lazy gardener]

I am opposed to the no crow collars. They must be monitored often to be sure they don't become too tight. And a number of folks have lost their roos to strangulation. If I were in a neighborhood where keeping a roo was not practical b/c of the noise, I simply wouldn't keep one. You can buy hatching eggs and either slip them under a broody, or use an incubator. Yes, it's fun to hatch eggs. But, that begs the question: What are you going to do with the approximately 50 - 60% of cockerels that hatch? You MUST have an exit plan for them. The only thing worse than being woken (an hour before sunrise) every single morning by the incessant crowing of an exuberant roo is being woken at the same time every morning by a grow out pen full of cockerels. And roos crow frequently throughout the day. If my roo can't be free to crow, I would kill him before putting a no crow collar on him.

 

[disneyguy]

Aaannnndddd.... we are in a neighborhood so we always have to get rid of them

Just curious - have your neighbors specifically complained to you about them?

I started my first flock a couple of years ago, and had a rooster so I immediately rehomed because I was worried. This April, I hatched some chicks from an incubator and out of the 9 that hatched, one is a rooster.... and my neighbors actually like his crowing! Reminds them of a "simpler time", they've said. I haven't received a single complaint. I'm also looking to start hatching eggs, too, so if that's truly what you'd like to do from your own chickens as opposed to buying fertile eggs from someone else, perhaps just ask your neighbors if they'd mind a rooster being their alarm clock!

 

[K. Kolberg]

There are a few threads about them. I don't like them. They basically strangle the rooster every time he tries to crow. Some have been strangled to death. A rooster lives to crow, so trying to stop that seem cruel to me, especially in that manner. I'm a big fan of bantam cochin roosters, have a few myself, they enjoy crowing.

Do a search of this site to find a few discussions about their use.

Well the only thing is, my situation is, either we figure out a way to stop his crow or get rid of him. But thank you!! and I will definitely search that site!!

 

[K. Kolberg]

Just curious - have your neighbors specifically complained to you about them?

I started my first flock a couple of years ago, and had a rooster so I immediately rehomed because I was worried. This April, I hatched some chicks from an incubator and out of the 9 that hatched, one is a rooster.... and my neighbors actually like his crowing! Reminds them of a "simpler time", they've said. I haven't received a single complaint. I'm also looking to start hatching eggs, too, so if that's truly what you'd like to do from your own chickens as opposed to buying fertile eggs from someone else, perhaps just ask your neighbors if they'd mind a rooster being their alarm clock!

Well, we have nice neighbors, and I don't think that any of them would turn us in or anything, but I don't think that they would like it and I don't think we would like it either. Because we are kinda late sleepers and I am a deep sleeper so I never hear it, but I think that my Mom would prolly hear it.

 

[K. Kolberg]

Just curious - have your neighbors specifically complained to you about them?

I started my first flock a couple of years ago, and had a rooster so I immediately rehomed because I was worried. This April, I hatched some chicks from an incubator and out of the 9 that hatched, one is a rooster.... and my neighbors actually like his crowing! Reminds them of a "simpler time", they've said. I haven't received a single complaint. I'm also looking to start hatching eggs, too, so if that's truly what you'd like to do from your own chickens as opposed to buying fertile eggs from someone else, perhaps just ask your neighbors if they'd mind a rooster being their alarm clock!

Well, we have nice neighbors, and I don't think that any of them would turn us in or anything, but I don't think that they would like it and I don't think we would like it either. Because we are kinda late sleepers and I am a deep sleeper so I never hear it, but I think that my Mom would prolly hear it.

You can have chicks without a rooster, but of course, you will have roosters in your hatch. Either buy fertilized eggs and use a broody hen or incubator. It is rather easy to get eggs. Or you can buy baby chicks.

Yeah, I don't think I would want to do that, I have heard of it though, because I don't think we would want to buy an incubator.

 

[leighks]

Do you have a good avian vet near you? You may want to consider a hormone implant used in birds called Deslorelin. It's used in various bird species for various behavior and medical problems. There's not a ton of info on it being used in roosters (many people don't bother doing it on roosters cuz many people don't keep them simply as pets) but there is some info on the internet about it. If the implant is put in roosters before they start to crow, most likely they won't crow. The potential drawbacks are it can be costly- around $175 per implant- and new implants have to be inserted every 6-12 months most likely. And you can not eat the meat if they have the implant.
I have spoken to my bird vet about this but haven't gone through with it yet. The reason I'm considering it is because my 1 cockerel and 5 pullets are 17 weeks old, and he is getting out of hand with his catching and mounting the females- none of them are ready to breed yet so they just scream and run away, with a few feathers missing from their necks and backs. I don't have anywhere to separate him from the girls and was considering using the implant to help him settle down and leave the girls alone, at least until they are laying and receptive to his advances. Right now they are becoming scared of him and since he jumps them without warning multiple times a day. I am allowed to keep roosters where I live, and I don't want to get rid of him- just slow his maturity a bit so the girls can catch up. Good luck!

 

[K. Kolberg]

I am opposed to the no crow collars. They must be monitored often to be sure they don't become too tight. And a number of folks have lost their roos to strangulation. If I were in a neighborhood where keeping a roo was not practical b/c of the noise, I simply wouldn't keep one. You can buy hatching eggs and either slip them under a broody, or use an incubator. Yes, it's fun to hatch eggs. But, that begs the question: What are you going to do with the approximately 50 - 60% of cockerels that hatch? You MUST have an exit plan for them. The only thing worse than being woken (an hour before sunrise) every single morning by the incessant crowing of an exuberant roo is being woken at the same time every morning by a grow out pen full of cockerels. And roos crow frequently throughout the day. If my roo can't be free to crow, I would kill him before putting a no crow collar on him.

Well, I will think about it, if we decide to not keep it we might just give it to some friends, but I really really want to keep it, and it seems like a a rooster would get used to his no crow collar just like a cat or dog gets used to their collar.