How much would my neighbors really hate me?

[ChristineDown]

There are some things you can do make a rooster crowing less likely. Although not guaranteed to stop crowing altogether this did work for me. In order for a rooster crow he needs to extend his neck (sort of hold his head has high as possible) If you have his perch at a height that gives him no head room he can't crow whilst on the roost. This meant that mine didn't bother until he was out of the henhouse in the morning and as I didn't let my brood out until about 7.30am he wasn't crowing too early. Of course he could stand on the house floor and crow but as I say he didn't bother. If you collect the eggs every day and store them somewhere cool you will not notice any difference between a fertilized or an unfertilized egg.

 

[thedeacon]

Just one out of six complaining will make for an unhappy neighborhood.

 

[Equus5O]

Quote:
I completely agree. My favorite time of year is when I get to have the windows open. No heat or air conditioning on! At night, I get to listen to the brook run. I enjoy the sound of the birds, the coyotes, and the wolves. How many people in New Jersey get to listen to howling wolves?!

 

[FaithAnn]

I would just go to them and explain the situation -- the you didn't originally plan to have roosters, but now you have become attached to them as you would any pet, and you would like to try to keep him. Its worth a shot...

That being said, in my city you can have hens but no roosters...you need to check your local ordinances to see if they are legal. If they aren't, the issue is moot.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
But......Some crow ALLLLLL the time.

Yeah, somebody must have forgotten to tell mine that he should only crow in the morning. Also, if a rooster is woke up in the middle of the night by a barking dog, it will crow then too.