Help!

[Neighbor]

Are there any links to where these could be bought or instructions for DIY? I would like to pass it on to the neighbor. Although it would be nice for the Rooster to be kept in a insulated place later in the AM I would expect it to be kept there throughout other periods of the day and evening, this bird screams from 5am until 8:30 pm, we are so sick of listening to the constant noise and think we deserve more than a break in the AM although that is the most important time because it is interfering with our sleep. Due to my health I take college classes online from home and had a very difficult time the week of finals with writing my research papers and taking final exams, I do not expect Library quiet but expect a reasonable amount of peace and quiet, this Rooster is so loud I can hear it over the fan I put in the window AND over the TV.

 

[Neighbor]

Can anyone explain the purpose of having a Rooster in a residential neighborhood where the home sit on small lots, abutting a major highway? I completely understand the benefit of the neighbors having the chickens for the garden fertilizing, keeping insects away and fresh eggs but why a Rooster? A Rooster is not needed for eggs or the other benefits and my understand is it is only needed for breeding (which the neighbors are not) am I missing another reason? Just curious for if this goes to court. My last phone call to the neighbor this AM when I was awakened by the Rooster was that if it continues we will see them in court. Just curious what the defense could possibly be for having a disruptive, noisy Rooster that is disturbing the peace of the neighborhood. The neighbor says "We moved into farm country deal with it", LOL, I bought this home almost 11 years ago in a RESIDENTIAL single family home neighborhood with no farms nearby, and the Rooster moved in this summer. I could see her point of view if I bought next to a farm or next to a home that had chickens and a Rooster, that is not the case, that would be like buying next to an airport or train tracks and then complaining about the noise from airplanes and trains, not the case here, I bought a home in a family neighborhood with no farms or farm animals and lived here peacefully for 11+ years.

 

[nonseq]

There really isn't any reason to keep a rooster. We bought our chicks straight run. Out of 10 chicks, 7 of them turned out to be roosters. We butchered 6 of those and kept the quietest and most docile. Mostly b/c he had become quite the pet. Well this past spring the little bugger started crowing LOUDLY throughout the day. We didn't know what to do with him. We didn't want to butcher him, we didn't want someone else to butcher him and we sure didn't want him to end up as fodder for training fighting cocks. Quite the dilemma. Someone called the cops on us and through FB, we found him a home about 50 miles away from where we live.

The cops came on a Sunday. By the following Sunday he was ensconced in his new digs 50 miles away. That didn't help us any b/c we found out as a result of the noisy rooster that we weren't supposed to have "livestock" where we live. This was contrary to what we were told 2 years ago when we decided to get chickens. After being shot down by a committee (according to them "birds commonly kept as pets" does not apply to chickens), we re-homed the girls to the same people who have Sumo, the rooster.

The person who told us chickens were OK still has his. His coop is visible from the front yard, and he lives less than 2 blocks from City Hall.

 

[Neighbor]

Quote:
I wondered if there was a reason I may be missing on having a rooster and good to know there is not any reason. I wonder if the same thing happened to my neighbors, they may have thought they were getting all chickens. I am sorry to hear about your chickens, that is not fair and it is unfortunate that responsible owners like you are having to give up your chickens and irresponsible, un-neighborly people like my neighbors still have theirs with a shock collar. If there is not fair and equal application of the ordinances and laws I suggest you take it to court!

 

[redhen]

Roosters protect the flock...
And maybe they do want to breed their chickens eventually... (you never know).
There could be several reasons why they want that rooster...
Maybe its just simply a pet to them that they are attached to... kinda like a dog or cat to you or me..(theres really no reason to keep them either..if you think about it..)....

Also.. when there is no rooster in the flock.. the head hens can and will sometimes start to crow like a rooster....
So your problems may not be over just be getting rid of the rooster.... Just letting you know.

 

[Birdy_Buddy]

You have to tell us if there is an ordinance that prohibits chickens in your neighborhood. Is there a limit on the number of roosters?
If chickens and roosters are allowed, then you don't have much of a case. I am not trying to defend your lame-o neighbor. I personally would not have roosters if I lived real close to anyone. I live in Sacramento on a small lot where chickens are not allowed. It's the law here. My wife and I just bought a fixer on a half acre in Sac that we can have chickens at. We should move in next spring and I will surely have birds. I probably will not have a rooster. My neighbor at our fixer has a rooster and it can crow loud and long 24/7 and it wouldn't bother me. It may be because I have had chickens before and a large loud family growing up. I can sleep through anything.
You don't seem to mind the "Major highway". I myself would be more annoyed by the constant 80 decibel drone of the highway than a single rooster. I can understand the annoyance though. Incessantly barking dogs annoy me. I have four dogs who like to bark too. I rotate a bark collar on a few of the worst offenders. I keep it at a low setting so it does not stop them from barking but does put a decent neighborly damper on it.
Do you know if it is real a shock collar or one of those citronella collars that spritz citronella which would be humane on a chicken. How do you rig a collar to stay on a chicken?

 

[Neighbor]

Quote:
I have heard they protect but not sure what they would be protecting in this case, they keep their few chickens in an enclosed dog kennel type fence so no animals can get at them. I think it is more of a "pet" as she calls them her "children". BUT kind of parent would use a shock collar? A dog maybe can be trained with a shock collar but not a Rooster. I thinkit is inhumane and the ACO said it is inhumane. As far as the hens making noise the clucking is no big deal and if they start crowing I would not mind unless it got as loud and as persistent as the Rooster.

 

[Neighbor]

Quote:
No ordinances at all! No noise ordinance and no livestock/poultry ordinance. Other parts of the state have these laws/ordinances but not our tiny town. I beg to differ on not having much of a case, in other towns in NH that have no ordinances and local police could not do anything the people in my situation took it to court and won and the owner of the noisy Rooster was ordered to get rid of it because it was Disturbing the Peace in the residential neighborhood. There is a quite well known recent case here in NH that went to court in a town with no ordinance and the owner had to give up the Rooster. Without laws/ordinances courts look to caselaw (i.e. what courts decided in previous cases) and that is in my favor from the legal research I have done. I don't mind the major highway and the Rooster is louder than any Harley with loud pipes and all the 18 wheeler trucks, even those with the airbrakes applied, when I looked at buying the house I was well aware of the highway and although I hear the traffic it isn't nearly as bad as this loud Rooster, I have never had to turn up my TV to hear it over the traffic but a fan and the window and cranking up the TV still do not drown out the constant noise from the Rooster.

They are using a REAL DOG SHOCK COLLAR, confirmed by the owners. Looks like they are using something meant for a small dog. Dogs can be trained, Roosters can't according to the AC Officer.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Actually, chickens are very trainable; whether they can be trained with a shock collar is another matter. Shock collar training is supposed to be enough of a jolt to be unpleasant and timed to cause the animal to associate its behavior with the jolt, but not something that gives a long jolt or causes injury. Many people do not use shock collars properly, and that is on animals for whom they were intended. As was suggested, there are also citronella collars for training dogs not to bark, but the problem is that almost all birds have very poor sense of smell (turkey vultures are an exception).

A well-insulated coop with a door set on a timer that allows the birds out after a reasonable time in the morning might be a viable solution. Another alternative is finding a vet who will decrow the bird. Either of these would be less expensive for them than defending themselves in a court case. Be aware that in many states the loser in a tort case must pay all fees for both parties. Meaning it could be doubly expensive for you or for them.

Look at your city/town or county code for nuisances and see what if anything you can find.

I personally adore my boys; they have a lot of personality. Chances are that their rooster is one of the chicks they got who became a favourite, and unfortunately for you turned out to be a rooster. Alternatively, they may have chosen to have a rooster from the get go. Their attitude of being unwilling to compromise with a near neighbor who seems to be trying very hard to be reasonable is sad.

 

[Neighbor]

Quote:
Hi Flock Mistress!

Beautiful photo! I really don't know anything about training chickens, just going by what the AC Officer said. The Neighbor said the shock collar was injuring her Rooster, her words. I have never heard of citronella collars until this thread, i will offer the suggestion to the neighbor, they may have already tried it before resorting to the shock collar.

I just don't understand why she keeps the Rooster when she admittedly is also bothered by the noise. I think a well insulated coop with a timer sounds like a viable option. I find it laughable that she says my husband should find a new job and not work from home so that she can keep her noisy rooster, just funny!

I have heard that some vets consider de-crowing inhumane and will not perform the procedure? I am well aware of the laws and have a background in paralegal and have no concerns with being stuck with their legal fees with all that we have put up with. Our town population is 3900 and there are very few ordinances on the books and I have looked to state laws, and it comes down to precedence in the courts. Court can be avoided if they try to work at a solution but they appear to be unwilling. They have taken the stance that they are not giving up the bird and have not cooperated in keeping the peace and have instead tried retaliating by lying to the police saying we have trespassed on their property and have a cat destructing their property, etc., we do not own a cat and we have never trespassed as we told the police she better have pictures to back up her claims in court! We have a video surveillance of our property 24-7 with a DVR system that records a 30 day history that we have offered up to police to see when we have come and gone and exactly what has taken place, proving no trespassing at the times she lied about. I guess you can't reason with unreasonable people. They are in violation with the town on other things like not getting permits for permanent structures (temporary garages left up year round, etc) and we don't want to be jerks but we will if we have to. Not only will AC Officer be showing up but the building inspector, etc., in addition to court if it continues. For now I think I will take the suggestion above and use the recordings of their constantly screaming Roo and play it pack to them for hours and see how they like it and if they doesn't solve the issue then off to court we go!