Crowing Serama

[speak1074]

Good day!

I have a class A serama who is only 9 weeks old but appears to be crowing!

Is this normal? I live in town and can't have a rooster (totally going to break the rules with this one anyway), so if he/she is really a rooster then I need to get a crowing collar. (Do those even work?)

Any info would be appreciated! (BEFORE I drop a 20 on a collar.)

Thank you!!!

 

[Alexandra33]

Could we see some pictures?

~Alex

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, speak1074, and

! Great to have you in our community! I agree with the above - post a pic as you might have a rooster. Crowing hens are rare but not unheard of. Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!

 

[speak1074]

Oh, I don't really doubt that he's a rooster. I just am wondering why he's crowing at such an early age!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[CuzChickens]

Hello there, and welcome to Backyard Chickens! I am so glad you joined us, I do hope you will make yourself at home here. Enjoy BYC!

 

[RodNTN]

Hi and

I am glad you joined us! Yes, you have a very cute little rooster on your hands! I am just sorry that roosters aren't allowed where you are at. I have heard crowing collars don't keep roosters from crowing, it simply just makes their crow a little bit quieter.
Google My Pet Chicken and you can search for "Crowing Collar" and there is a video someone posted of a rooster crowing with a crowing collar on.
I hope you enjoy BYC, best wishes!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. In my experience the smaller breeds are more precocious, early crowers, and he is indeed a cockerel.

 

[drumstick diva]

I've read that the collars sometimes injure the bird. Very rarely do I hear it works. My opinion is the same as for diet meds, IF the collar really worked, NO ONE would have to give up their roosters.

 

[Teila]

G’Day speak1074

Welcome to BYC!

We are not allowed to have roosters where I am and so that I do not risk the unwanted attention of having the authorities on my doorstep, I have not attempted to keep one so I have no personal experience with the no-crow collar but I have a friend who has.

Her first BCM rooster she tried it on was not happy with it initially but got used to it. She was not that happy with the ones she bought and ended up making her own.

I have heard of a few roosters choking to death while wearing the collar. Even with the correct setting, sometimes there is the risk of them eating something a bit bigger than normal and it not being able to move past the collar.

My friend nearly lost her boy when she was tweaking the collar and it was a little too tight; so if you are going to try one, obviously watch very closely. It took her probably two weeks of early morning tweakings to find the right setting.

However, this rooster still had to go into his man cave at night because even with the collar on the best setting she could find, he managed to make enough noise that the neighbours could hear him.

So, he used to sleep in a crate, with his collar on and in a dark corner under the house (she has an under house coop).

Anyways, because she felt this to be cruel, he is now living on a farm and can crow to his heart’s delight.

His son, who she kept, now has a no crow collar but with him it is enough to keep his crows at a less audible level and he does not have to sleep in a man cave and sleeps with his hens on the roost.

With what I have read about the collars (extensive), it works for some and not for others.

This is a good thread regarding the collar, lots of stories and pros and cons: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/906916/no-crow-rooster-collar/140

I know of someone else who has a number of roosters in a no rooster zone. He built a rooster night box which is sound proofed and remains darker for longer in the morning:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/792990/our-diy-rooster-night-box