I'm still new here, but we have a rooster that I found out we shouldn't have either. We absolutely love him and are trying to keep him as long as we can. My daughter and some of her friends from 4-H are trying to get that ordinance changed.
We will be moving the coop in the garage for the winter soon so it won't be as much of a concern. For now, we 'put him to bed' every night in the garage in a large dog crate. We put one of the hens with him so he isn't by himself. We 'wake him up' in the morning by opening the garage or putting him back in the coop after 9 am. Most of my neighbors, who really don't mind our chickens, are either awake or gone to work by then. He doesn't crow a lot, but if he does, it's not really bothering anyone. There aren't any windows in the garage so it's dark. If you have a window, you could probably cover it for the same effect.
We will be moving the coop in the garage for the winter soon so it won't be as much of a concern. For now, we 'put him to bed' every night in the garage in a large dog crate. We put one of the hens with him so he isn't by himself. We 'wake him up' in the morning by opening the garage or putting him back in the coop after 9 am. Most of my neighbors, who really don't mind our chickens, are either awake or gone to work by then. He doesn't crow a lot, but if he does, it's not really bothering anyone. There aren't any windows in the garage so it's dark. If you have a window, you could probably cover it for the same effect.
