I LOVE my "secret" city roo!

[Leihamarie]

Hey all,
just wanted to sing the praises of Chester, my little illegal cockerel! I've always wanted a roo, but didn't plan on it where I'm at now because I'm not allowed to have roosters in the city. I had 3 boys in my last hatch. This little guy is the only one that didn't get a home. He hatched in my hands (his egg was repaired due to a fall on day 18 of incubation and needed a bit of assistance hatching) so I have a HUGE soft spot for him. I really didn't intend to become a criminal, lol! So far, I have to say, it's working out GREAT! Finally, the noisy street corner I live on is working to my advantage! He sleeps inside at night in a covered crate and I let him out with the flock in the morning once the traffic gets going. His crows in the house are silent to the ears of my neighbors and his crows outside are drowned out by the motorcycles, loud music and traffic. I'm really LOVING watching his growth and development! He is SOOOO different from the hens. I finally feel like I've got a full, whole flock! Anyone else out there keeping a secret city roo?


Chester and his sister GiGi

napping in the shade

Being EXTRA dramatic about the diaper I put on him. He's doing his best to convince me he's dying with the diaper on. It's still a work in progress. He's NOT a fan, lol!

 

[Pugsabi]

How cute! Does he have a few blue feathers in his tail? He's such an awesome color. Gigi's beautiful too.
We aren't allowed roos in our city either, but sometimes I can hear a few very manly hens in our neighborhood! I would love to have a roo but I settled on having more than my allotted amount of chickens instead. I, too, like to live dangerously!

 

[Chickassan]

The only crime I see here is that blue diaper.

 

[VyeFye]

Hey all,
just wanted to sing the praises of Chester, my little illegal cockerel! I've always wanted a roo, but didn't plan on it where I'm at now because I'm not allowed to have roosters in the city. I had 3 boys in my last hatch. This little guy is the only one that didn't get a home. He hatched in my hands (his egg was repaired due to a fall on day 18 of incubation and needed a bit of assistance hatching) so I have a HUGE soft spot for him. I really didn't intend to become a criminal, lol! So far, I have to say, it's working out GREAT! Finally, the noisy street corner I live on is working to my advantage! He sleeps inside at night in a covered crate and I let him out with the flock in the morning once the traffic gets going. His crows in the house are silent to the ears of my neighbors and his crows outside are drowned out by the motorcycles, loud music and traffic. I'm really LOVING watching his growth and development! He is SOOOO different from the hens. I finally feel like I've got a full, whole flock! Anyone else out there keeping a secret city roo?


Chester and his sister GiGi
View attachment 1499792


napping in the shade
View attachment 1499793

Being EXTRA dramatic about the diaper I put on him. He's doing his best to convince me he's dying with the diaper on. It's still a work in progress. He's NOT a fan, lol!
View attachment 1499794

How is your experience going? Did you ever try to crow collar? I am wanting to also dip my toes into illegal rooster keeping so was wondering of your progress.

 

[Cathage]

I absolutely love this story. He's so cute. Love your little chicken family.

 

[Leihamarie]

How cute! Does he have a few blue feathers in his tail? He's such an awesome color. Gigi's beautiful too.
We aren't allowed roos in our city either, but sometimes I can hear a few very manly hens in our neighborhood! I would love to have a roo but I settled on having more than my allotted amount of chickens instead. I, too, like to live dangerously!

Thanks! He actually has a couple of 1/2 black feathers in his tail but they look blue in the picture. Both Gigi and Chester are from a friend/fellow BYC member's flock who lives close-ish to me here in San Diego. I think I might be a couple over my limit of chickens too, hahahaha!

 

[Leihamarie]

The only crime I see here is that blue diaper.

Ha! He agrees!!!!!! I tried for a solid MONTH with the diapers, lmao! I tried FOUR different kinds, I even ponied up the big bucks for a flock suit... NO SUCH LUCK! He never adjusted. Now I just cover all the important furniture and he's only out roaming in the living room for a few minutes before bed. He DOES require pre-bed snuggles.

 

[Leihamarie]

How is your experience going? Did you ever try to crow collar? I am wanting to also dip my toes into illegal rooster keeping so was wondering of your progress.

Sorry for the delayed response, the email notifications for the forum are going into a different folder than they should! It's going well so far. The neighbors do hear him now that he has his big-boy lungs but only when he's outside in the yard. He DOES crow... A LOT during the day, but so far all the neighbors think it's funny (I bribe them with eggs) and they never hear him after 9pm, which is when I go get him from the coop and bring him inside until about 9am.

Regarding the no-crow collar: The collars are only to be used in flocks that get mash food, no treats that aren't put through a food processor first and are confined to a controllable environment where there's nothing the collar can get caught on. I did buy a couple to see if I could make it work for him, but it's too risky and I ended up tossing them. I know a couple of people personally that have tried the collar in free-ranging flocks (like mine) and they lost their roos to suffocation. I would not recommend the collar to anyone that has a free-ranging flock, or that feeds them whole grains, or treats bigger than a millet seed.

All-in-all, it is DEFINITELY extra work having an outdoor/indoor rooster, but totally worth it to me, lol! In the interest of full disclosure, he crows anytime he hears me get up in the middle of the night, and he starts crowing when he hears the hens stir outside in their coop just before dawn. It doesn't bother me, but it might bother you. I rarely even hear it anymore. I liken it to living next to train tracks (which I did as a kid)... the brain just gets used to it and filters out the sound. On the rare occasion that it does make it through the filter, I just shut my door until the cats can't stand it and scratch at it to be let in/out (depending on what side they ended up on, lol!). I live in a very small house with just me and the animals so there's no one else to consider, but you might have a totally different set up than I. If I still live in the same house by the time I have kid(s), I'll have to work out a different system. Maybe a sound-deadening crate or something. Until then though, this works just fine.

Here he is just before announcing that he's found a delicious treat of butternut squash, lol!

Annd... here he is getting his pre-bedtime snuggles. Seriously, if he doesn't get snuggles before bed he crows until he does.

 

[Chickassan]

He's a free spirit, and i'd imagine his sister teased him mercilessly about it. Really nice to see a rooster giving and receiving such affection, not exactly the norm on either side but lovely none the less.

Ha! He agrees!!!!!! I tried for a solid MONTH with the diapers, lmao! I tried FOUR different kinds, I even ponied up the big bucks for a flock suit... NO SUCH LUCK! He never adjusted. Now I just cover all the important furniture and he's only out roaming in the living room for a few minutes before bed. He DOES require pre-bed snuggles.