How to stop a rooster from crowing?

[TheBirdLady2001]

Help! I have a 7 or 8 month old rooster, named Angus. He is a sweet heart. He was the first chick I hatched in my incubator. We were hoping he was a hen, becuase we aren’t supposed to have roosters, becuase we have neighbors on either sides of us. We were hoping he wouldn’t crow, becuase we don’t have any other roosters. Then we got some chicks, which are about 2 months old now. We don’t know the gender of them, so I’m guessing we have some males, but we are planning to sell them when we know.
Okay, now to the point! He’s my baby, the sweetest out of all my flock. But we have people in my house and our neighbors who work midnight shifts, and sleep during the day. But he has started crowing! My family has said as soon as he starts crowing, he’s out. So I need help! Is there anyway to get him to stop crowing? I have looked at a few ‘collars’ but I’m still worried that he will get hurt. I don’t want it to suffocate him or restrict his eating and drinking. Will he stop crowing after I sell the male chicks? Or will he continue to crow? Please help!

 

[Youtjatoor]

You can't stop a rooster from crowing. Doesn't matter if there's other males or not. It's a rooster. They crow. That's what they do. You can use a collar but it's more of a hassle than not. Also keep in mind he's sweet now. But once he matures 9 out of 10 will not be sweet and will take on full rooster duties soooooo if you aren't supposed to have it then best to follow your town ordinances. And remember he WILL crow. May more maybe less be he will crow. It's no different than if you would ask a dog not to bark or a cat to meow. It's what they do. Best of luck

 

[adrikeen]

I have the same situation as you. My Silkie roo is about 28 weeks now. He is exceptionally docile around me but a great protector of the hens. He alerted me to an impending hawk attack last night before I even realized what was happening. I want to keep him but have neighbors so what I have done is house him in our Florida room during the evening/night collar free. He has a a perch area with food/water, etc. In the morning he crows a few times but the neighbors can't hear him and he's not that loud as to annoy us. I place the collar on him in the morning and outside he goes for the day. He does still crow but it's really muted. I have a few hens who are actually louder than him with the collar on. I checked with both neighbors on either side of me to make sure no one was annoyed (bringing them eggs as a bribe also helps) and all is well!
So...I would say definitely try the collar!

 

[grnidone]

The No-crow collar works VERY well. BUT, the instructions are not clear. What I recommend is instead of using a "finger" as a spacer between the chicken and the collar (which can vary depending on the size of hand), use 2 number 2 pencils when putting it on to prevent from putting it on too tightly.

Using pencils will also prevent you from getting it too tight on the bottom of the collar (near the roo's feet) and loose at the top. (Pencils are the same circumference from top to bottom, the human finger isn't.

Start with that and see if it lowers the crow volume.

If not, tighten to one pencil as a spacer and see if that works better.

Be with your rooster for a good 30 minutes to an hour to determine if you've gotten it on correctly. At first, he will pout and will lay on the ground in the corner, but he should NEVER be panting for air.

Good luck.

 

[Col1948]

I read on another thread about rooster crowing, someone said how ironic if a dog barks most of the day it's ok but if a rooster crows a few times a day neighbours complain.

I would like a rooster but I live in the suburbs and have neighbours close by, I know for certain one of them would complain, not sure about the others.

 

[Shadrach]

I’ve been asked by Notch, one of the roosters here, to ask if they make such collars for hens.
The reason he asks apparently, is he ends up with a headache by the end of the day listening to his hens screeching escort calls (mistakenly called the egg song) every time they go off and lay an egg. All he wants to do is have a quiet nap while the hens are off laying.
The way he looks at is, while he may make a bit of a racket from time to time he doesn’t expect anyone to drop what they are doing and run over open ground every half hour risking their lives when he crows, while the hens do.
He learns quickly does Notch, and it didn’t take him long to change the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ to ‘can’t hear it, isn’t happening’.

 

[Corrie W]

https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...ampaign=HPSlideshow&utm_content=NoCrowCollar1

I haven't actually tried it myself but I have looked at reviews.. more positive than negative but I'd definitely look into it and do more research on the brand before buying!

 

[TheBirdLady2001]

https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...ampaign=HPSlideshow&utm_content=NoCrowCollar1

I haven't actually tried it myself but I have looked at reviews.. more positive than negative but I'd definitely look into it and do more research on the brand before buying!

Thank you so much! I’m currently looking into it. Although I did try another website, with the same collar because I am in Canada, and the ‘my pet chicken’ website is in the US. Crossing my fingers all goes well!

 

[Youtjatoor]

Yes, I know roosters crow. I am just wondering if it is becuase there are other males around. But I should have been more specific: own town rule is that if your neighbors are bothered by your birds and file a complaint, it is a problem. That is why I am looking for a solution to keep them quieter during the day. And I know most roosters can be very protective, and some may become aggressive. But this rooster is unusually kind. He leads around my baby chicks, and lets them sleep with him. And I would not think twice about letting a two year old pick him up. Thank you for your opinion. Have a wonderful day!

Oh ok. well that does clear up some then.
Im in NC and we have rules like that here too, sorta.
Im outside the town limits so it doesnt really matter, but i did speak with neighbors first before i acquired our rosster and they were very cool with it. so i guess just check with yours too. the collars are just a hassle cuz you always have to keep an eye on them for safety and proper functionality. but if thats your best bet to keep the peace then go for it. Now He will be nice for now yes, but as those chicks turn into full grown hens, he will take his role as alpha very seriously. PLEASE be careful. Im not an advocate for slaughtering roosters, they get an undeserved bad rap for doing what nature designs them to do. you may get lucky, there are very gentle roosters out there yes, but they are rare. most will "respect" you within their boundries, and some are outright demons. LOL, but please keep a sharp eye on him. as much as we may love and trust them, they have 1 job in life and will do it even if it kills them. keep us updated and good luck

 

[townchicks]

Since this is an older post, I'm wondering how things worked out. @TheBirdLady2001 , are you out here? Did you try the collar, or something else?