Feeling sad

[Ditsydaisy]

I'm feeling sad as I don't know what I am going to do?
I got 6 silkies eggs to incubate May and four beautiful babies hatched. I love them so much and they are beautiful. They are now 5 mths and are outside in my garden. It turns out I have 2 roos and 2 hens. One roo is the dominant roo and I have had no issues with fighting between them at all, just a couple of simple spats. They all love cuddles esp the dominant roo, he comes up to me shuffling his feet and dancing, then I'll pick him up and he snuggles his comb under my chin whilst I talk or sing softly to him. He's such a softie. He's learning to be the Head rooster and is getting good at looking after his little flock. The issue I have is he crows constantly. Once he starts he does not stop for ages.
The less dominant one does one half strangulation crow in the morning and that is it for him.
I don't have an issue with it but it appears that my surrounding neighbours do as I had a visit from environmental health stating reason for visit is the noise of my cockeral and the noise and smell of my turf because of my dogs poop.
I am allowed cockerals as a urban chicken keeper, I have followed their guidelines and it means I now keep them locked in their bed coop until after 7am, I cover the coop with a cover to keep it dark I am also waiting for my son to fit an automatic door onto the coop so I know that will help and has helped so far, but I don't know how to limit him during the day.
I have found free ranging for a few hours helps whilst he's out has helped. Also if he does not see me during the day then he seems to eventually settles, but that means I can't go outside to go see my other chickens which are on the other side of the garden, cause it starts him up again and he will go quiet when I go into his run.
I have made changes as recommended and I'm now thinking I may need to remove all 4 silkies because the noise is still continuing.
It just frustrates me that it's OK for my neighbours to use their noisy electrical items daily which some do all do like saws etc and I'm just to accept that noise constantly.

I don't know if the environmental health will be returning as a check up or only if anther compliant happens. I am scared that I will have to give them up which will break my heart as they are my babies and I love sitting with them and meditating, they keep me sane and help my health so the thought of losing them is devasting. I'm looking to move somewhere where there are no neighbours but that takes time and I'm not sure I have that time were they concerned.

Anyway I just wonder if there is anything else I could try to limit not stop the noise that I haven't already done.

 

[Beau plus penny]

I'm feeling sad as I don't know what I am going to do?
I got 6 silkies eggs to incubate May and four beautiful babies hatched. I love them so much and they are beautiful. They are now 5 mths and are outside in my garden. It turns out I have 2 roos and 2 hens. One roo is the dominant roo and I have had no issues with fighting between them at all, just a couple of simple spats. They all love cuddles esp the dominant roo, he comes up to me shuffling his feet and dancing, then I'll pick him up and he snuggles his comb under my chin whilst I talk or sing softly to him. He's such a softie. He's learning to be the Head rooster and is getting good at looking after his little flock. The issue I have is he crows constantly. Once he starts he does not stop for ages.
The less dominant one does one half strangulation crow in the morning and that is it for him.
I don't have an issue with it but it appears that my surrounding neighbours do as I had a visit from environmental health stating reason for visit is the noise of my cockeral and the noise and smell of my turf because of my dogs poop.
I am allowed cockerals as a urban chicken keeper, I have followed their guidelines and it means I now keep them locked in their bed coop until after 7am, I cover the coop with a cover to keep it dark I am also waiting for my son to fit an automatic door onto the coop so I know that will help and has helped so far, but I don't know how to limit him during the day.
I have found free ranging for a few hours helps whilst he's out has helped. Also if he does not see me during the day then he seems to eventually settles, but that means I can't go outside to go see my other chickens which are on the other side of the garden, cause it starts him up again and he will go quiet when I go into his run.
I have made changes as recommended and I'm now thinking I may need to remove all 4 silkies because the noise is still continuing.
It just frustrates me that it's OK for my neighbours to use their noisy electrical items daily which some do all do like saws etc and I'm just to accept that noise constantly.

I don't know if the environmental health will be returning as a check up or only if anther compliant happens. I am scared that I will have to give them up which will break my heart as they are my babies and I love sitting with them and meditating, they keep me sane and help my health so the thought of losing them is devasting. I'm looking to move somewhere where there are no neighbours but that takes time and I'm not sure I have that time were they concerned.

Anyway I just wonder if there is anything else I could try to limit not stop the noise that I haven't already done.

seems like chicken keepers all have different reasons to be sad. i miss my bunny

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm feeling sad as I don't know what I am going to do?
I got 6 silkies eggs to incubate May and four beautiful babies hatched. I love them so much and they are beautiful. They are now 5 mths and are outside in my garden. It turns out I have 2 roos and 2 hens. One roo is the dominant roo and I have had no issues with fighting between them at all, just a couple of simple spats. They all love cuddles esp the dominant roo, he comes up to me shuffling his feet and dancing, then I'll pick him up and he snuggles his comb under my chin whilst I talk or sing softly to him. He's such a softie. He's learning to be the Head rooster and is getting good at looking after his little flock. The issue I have is he crows constantly. Once he starts he does not stop for ages.
The less dominant one does one half strangulation crow in the morning and that is it for him.
I don't have an issue with it but it appears that my surrounding neighbours do as I had a visit from environmental health stating reason for visit is the noise of my cockeral and the noise and smell of my turf because of my dogs poop.
I am allowed cockerals as a urban chicken keeper, I have followed their guidelines and it means I now keep them locked in their bed coop until after 7am, I cover the coop with a cover to keep it dark I am also waiting for my son to fit an automatic door onto the coop so I know that will help and has helped so far, but I don't know how to limit him during the day.
I have found free ranging for a few hours helps whilst he's out has helped. Also if he does not see me during the day then he seems to eventually settles, but that means I can't go outside to go see my other chickens which are on the other side of the garden, cause it starts him up again and he will go quiet when I go into his run.
I have made changes as recommended and I'm now thinking I may need to remove all 4 silkies because the noise is still continuing.
It just frustrates me that it's OK for my neighbours to use their noisy electrical items daily which some do all do like saws etc and I'm just to accept that noise constantly.

I don't know if the environmental health will be returning as a check up or only if anther compliant happens. I am scared that I will have to give them up which will break my heart as they are my babies and I love sitting with them and meditating, they keep me sane and help my health so the thought of losing them is devasting. I'm looking to move somewhere where there are no neighbours but that takes time and I'm not sure I have that time were they concerned.

Anyway I just wonder if there is anything else I could try to limit not stop the noise that I haven't already done.

Two roosters to two hens is not good anyway, so I would try to rehome one of them. Just having one rooster might slow the crowing down a bit. I have my best luck selling chicks in the local poultry groups on Facebook. If you don't have an acct there, just make one for the chickens.

Also, is there something you can do about the dog poop? One less issue for them to complain about if you can. Maybe pick up a poop scooper to make it easier to walk around and clean up the poops. Someone gave us one, and they work great, but we live in the country and our dogs go in the farmer fields to poop, so we don't get poop other than chicken/duck poop in our yard.

 

[thecatumbrella]

If you're allowed to have cockerels, then your neighbors have no right to complain about the noise. It's unfortunate for them, yes, but they're welcome to try and change the town regulations. Some homes are too close together to live peacefully with these things.

If you want to be a good neighbor, see if you can move their enclosure to another part of the property, or dampen the noise with as many physical blocks are you can: shade cloth, fencing, shrubbery, etc.

The rooster is going to crow. He may outgrow it, but I wouldn't bank on that. I agree with Debbie that you have too many roos and not enough hens, so something with your flock will need to change anyway.

Best of luck getting things sorted out. I know it's not easy when you're attached.

 

[Ditsydaisy]

Two roosters to two hens is not good anyway, so I would try to rehome one of them. Just having one rooster might slow the crowing down a bit. I have my best luck selling chicks in the local poultry groups on Facebook. If you don't have an acct there, just make one for the chickens.

Also, is there something you can do about the dog poop? One less issue for them to complain about if you can. Maybe pick up a poop scooper to make it easier to walk around and clean up the poops. Someone gave us one, and they work great, but we live in the country and our dogs go in the farmer fields to poop, so we don't get poop other than chicken/duck poop in our yard.

I pick up their poop daily, with a brush and pan set which goes into a bin. I now pay a man to collect this bin and disinfect the turf fortnightly so I'm hoping this helps.
With regards to the chickens, I'm not sure I could give one away as they are both so special, I got silkies to be pets more so than just birds in the garden. The non dominant one acts so goofy he makes me smile all the time watching him. I just can't imagine not having either if them.

Would increasing flock size with more females silkies make a difference?
The non dominant one acts more hen than roo apart from the crow. The dominant one has just started to try grabbing all of them on the neck and trying to mount them all other roo included but they are not having it and squawk at him like crazy and run off. He's yet to be successful at mounting them.

Would integrating them all into my coop of 11mth old female standard hens make any difference. I have 4 females there? That was intended to be my original plan but they were so tiny it seemed when I first put them out into a coop but now they are not much smaller than my standard hens so think they would cope better. That would then be 6 hens all told.

 

[Debbie292d]

I pick up their poop daily, with a brush and pan set which goes into a bin. I now pay a man to collect this bin and disinfect the turf fortnightly so I'm hoping this helps.
With regards to the chickens, I'm not sure I could give one away as they are both so special, I got silkies to be pets more so than just birds in the garden. The non dominant one acts so goofy he makes me smile all the time watching him. I just can't imagine not having either if them.

Would increasing flock size with more females silkies make a difference?
The non dominant one acts more hen than roo apart from the crow. The dominant one has just started to try grabbing all of them on the neck and trying to mount them all other roo included but they are not having it and squawk at him like crazy and run off. He's yet to be successful at mounting them.

Would integrating them all into my coop of 11mth old female standard hens make any difference. I have 4 females there? That was intended to be my original plan but they were so tiny it seemed when I first put them out into a coop but now they are not much smaller than my standard hens so think they would cope better. That would then be 6 hens all told.

If you're picking up the poop daily, what on earth are they complaining about the smell for then? I dunno about some people who wouldn't be happy without something to complain about.

I didn't know you had other hens, and yes, that would make a big difference so the roosters wouldn't wear out your two little silkies. Two roosters to six hens is still a lot, but it can work. You'll just have to watch it and see if any hens start looking bedraggled. People get saddles too for their hens that get bred too much.

 

[CombNWattles]

Just a thought- the behavior of the dominant roo when you approach him sounds like aggression. Roosters do that little dance to express dominance. Definitely not the end of the world; I’ve never met a silkie I was afraid of. BUT, you mentioned that he crows when he sees you. If you could train out the aggression then he might stop ‘going off’ every time you come in the yard. I think @Shadrach might know something about rooster training, or at least who to tag!

 

[Debbie292d]

I’ve never met a silkie I was afraid of.

When I open up Breeding Pen 2 with a laundry basket in my hands and toss that over Piper, the mauve silkie, while I gather eggs, does that make one think I'm afraid of him?

Nah, he just makes my basket smell good.

 

[Ditsydaisy]

If you're picking up the poop daily, what on earth are they complaining about the smell for then? I dunno about some people who wouldn't be happy without something to complain about.

I didn't know you had other hens, and yes, that would make a big difference so the roosters wouldn't wear out your two little silkies. Two roosters to six hens is still a lot, but it can work. You'll just have to watch it and see if any hens start looking bedraggled. People get saddles too for their hens that get bred too much.

I know on the hottest days in the summer thecastro can have abit of a hum from the dogs urine more than poop and I usually pressure was then disinfect monthly but this year due to my health determination and recovery from a car crash I had not done this but even then it was not bad constantly justvon the hottest days you'd get a whiff.

I just want to be more rural than I currently am and live neighbour free. No longer happy in a small rural village constantly wondering which one has the issue and feeling judged by them all for having uncut grass in my front garden and for keeping animals who how dare they make noise and sometimes smell.
I think what grinds my gears the most is they all know my business or think they do and how my health has been worsening but not one of them has offered to help or even approached me about having an issue first before reporting me.

 

[Altairsky]

6 females with 2 roosters is still not enough. The roosters will most likely turn the females bare backed, injure their necks and comb, and there are high chances they will team up to beat up and rape unwilling hens. You can keep them for as long as there are no injuries, but when the blood starts, one (or even both) has to go.
The continuous crowing when they see you is actually a very bad sign.