Bantam roos and noise

[AmericanKraut]

I'm in a rural area but in town so I have a couple fairly close neighbors. One won't care about rooster racket but the other likely will be bothered. They are not "right next door", like over-the-fence in an urban area. But our coop would be about 200 ft feet from their house. They are friendly, good neighbors but too friendly to actually say if something is really bothering them.

This is our first flock in the spring and I'm wondering if I should even consider a rooster or not. Are bantam roosters any noticeably more quiet than standards because of their anatomically smaller size?

We have a friend in-state that thinks in a month or two she might have a couple standard legbars (no worry of roos there), a couple maran mix-breed dark egg layers, and a couple cochin bantams, possibly a faverolle bantam. So that's what we have coming straight run, that might have a roo appear. There's another breeder with Ameraucana and Welsummer so a roo might come up in a straight run there. I'm just getting a few of each.I just would consider keeping a roo that might show up in the straight run chicks we have coming this spring.

Are any breeds particularly more likely to be better for our situation than others or is that just a toss up? Wyandottes bantams are one we thought about. Old English bantams are beautiful, we are drawn to the less common but I've heard even their bantams are pretty intense. As a side question, so I avoid Old English pullets, too, as a beginner looking for a friendly, backyard flock?
Thank you!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The more roosters you have, the more crowing there will be. I have close neighbors and keep the roosters locked up till about 8 or 9 AM. You have to be outside to hear them when they're cooped. I can't hear them in the house.
If they don't awaken someone, I can't imagine a reasonable person would be annoyed.
Are they annoyed by a barking dog, lawn mowing, weed eaters, roofing activity, loud cars, stereos, horns? Most of those are louder.

 

[AmericanKraut]

I'm thinking of keeping just one rooster if I get one in the straight run. But good point on the other noise. I mainly thought of it because we have two German Shorthairs that bark when anyone that does not live at their house or our house comes up the driveways. They can go at it for a bit. They've never said anything about it but on Christmas Eve they were barking up a storm and kind of vicious. I looked over next door and looked like all the lights were off, like they were gone, it was really dark out. Being originally from a very urban area with crime, holiday evenings were when the most break-ins happened so I called my neighbors cell just casually to see if they were home or not before assuming anything and went out on my deck to see if anything looked odd next door. She answered and said they were gone, "but it just might be their usual bark-a-thon"! But sure is nice of YOU to keep an eye on our house".

But asked if we could keep an eye out. She just said the one part about the dogs with an annoyed change of voice. I asked if they bother them and then she got really Minnesota on me, "Oh you know, dogs and all, well you have a Merry Christmas" lol

So just giving having a rooster a second thought lol. I just want to be really courteous. I guess it's easy if a roo ends up in the bunch just to see how it goes, let him out later like you said, just keep one. If he's really a noise maker I can just find him a new home. Or we can have him for dinner, right? Roosters are just as much a meat bird as a standard or are hens more what you put on the table? Seems so callous, "Sorry buddy, but you don't sound so good in the yard!" lol but hey, tastes like chicken.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I hatch a lot and eat all the extra roosters.
That's life around the world. Rule of thumb is 1 rooster per 10 hens and at 50/50 hatch, that's a lot of rooster dinners.
That's life.
Your plan is good.

 

[AmericanKraut]

I hatch a lot and eat all the extra roosters.
That's life around the world. Rule of thumb is 1 rooster per 10 hens and at 50/50 hatch, that's a lot of rooster dinners.
That's life.
Your plan is good.

Thanks so much! I appreciate your help.