"Quiet" Rooster Breeds

[RedDrgn]

What is your NHR Roo like?

He starts crowing about one hour before the sky begins to lighten; so around 4AM right now and as late as 6/7AM during early spring. We haven't had him through a winter yet, so we'll see.

He starts with 5-10 crow bursts about once per hour until the sky is fairly light and then he crows like nuts unto our auto-door lets them all out of the coop and into the run for the day. Then he just pulls the 5-15 crow strings about once an hour until 10/11AM. After that, he rarely crows at all unless a strange person/vehicle steps foot on our property anywhere within his sight or he hears kids playing/screaming on neighboring properties - he'll crow just about non-stop at those times.

He's loud. His voice is beautiful and fairly deep, but he backs it up with a powerful set of pipes. When I did a little noise survey, he was peaking at 64dbA at 100 feet. That's still way less than our neighbor's dogs, but people are definitely more forgiving and quicker to ignore dogs over roosters. However, you just get used to it. Ours doesn't even wake us up in the mornings and the coop and run is right under our front porch.

However, all roos are different. Some crow more and some less, some dawn-dusk and some 24/7 (even ours will crow a few times in the middle of the night if disturbed...or during full moon). You just don't know until you have them.

 

[keesmom]

I have 2 Ideal 236 hens, and I am going to be getting 1 Buff Orpington hen, 1 Rhode Island Red hen, 1 Dominique hen, 1 Polish hen, 1 Golden laced Wyandotte hen, 1 Silver laced Wyandotte hen, 1 Welsummer hen, 1 Lakenvelder hen, 1 Ameracauna hen, and I might be able to get a pair of Swedish Flower Hens (Roo and Hen, a SFH Roo still has hen in the name).
I really want to breed SFH with these others, because they make some of the most beautiful chickens.

You mention you want to get into breeding. You state that you still live with your parents, so I'm assuming you are young. While I can understand why you would like to start breeding now, if your parents are against a rooster then it may be best for you to wait until you have a place of your own and can do what you wish. There's more to breeding than just putting chickens together - building a coop and run (and the cost involved), feed (and the cost involved), and having a plan on what to do with the chicks you do hatch. They won't all be pullets, trust me!

If you really want to get into breeding then you need to talk to your parents about it and get their support. Maybe they'll be willing to give it a try and see how noisy a rooster can be. But if they are against it then I'm sorry to say you'll just have to wait for now and enjoy your hens.

BTW my boys start in somewhat at 4 am this time of year, but can go off at any time of night if they hear a disturbance.

 

[15littlem]

I have 2-3 breeders about 20-45 minutes away from me. I wasn't trying to trick them, I was just informing others on this thread.

 

[15littlem]

You mention you want to get into breeding. You state that you still live with your parents, so I'm assuming you are young. While I can understand why you would like to start breeding now, if your parents are against a rooster then it may be best for you to wait until you have a place of your own and can do what you wish. There's more to breeding than just putting chickens together - building a coop and run (and the cost involved), feed (and the cost involved), and having a plan on what to do with the chicks you do hatch. They won't all be pullets, trust me!

If you really want to get into breeding then you need to talk to your parents about it and get their support. Maybe they'll be willing to give it a try and see how noisy a rooster can be. But if they are against it then I'm sorry to say you'll just have to wait for now and enjoy your hens.

I have had about 32 chickens throughout my poultry experience. I have decided on a breeding plan, too.

 

[Drover]

Oops sorry about that! Thats really cool that you have some breeders near you! I also love swedish flower hens, but they are so hard to find. Maybe if you sat down and talked with your parents you could convince them. Are you in an FFA chapter? Thats another way to convince them. My FFA project is based on breeding chickens, and is very supported by my FFA teacher. If you talk to your FFA teacher at school (assuming you are young) he might give you some paperwork for your project that you could show to your parents to get started. It is really fun, you keep records on everything you do! The project does not have to be based on breeding either, you can also do stuff like egg production and showing your chickens at the fair.

 

[ejctm]

I just found this on ebay - wow these eggs are expensive!!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-Rare-Swedish-Flower-Hen-6-hatching-eggs-/190534764317

Personally I have fallen in love with silver laced wyandottes and have 3 bantam eggs in the incubator now.

I too cannot have a rooster as although I live in a rural area, there are neighbours within a few feet of my house and it just would break my heart if I had to get rid of my chickens because they complained. I figure that if they complained about 1 noisy one, then I would be made to get rid of all of them, so I keep my head down and offer them free eggs so they don't complain about the noise and smell (and I don't keep any roosters!)

 

[greengravy]

I think it's a shame that we have to feel like we are pressured to give people eggs (bribe/tax) to our neighbors if we want to have hens. I am trying to feed my family here with our eggs. It's not my responsibility to share my food with the neighbors. I don't ever recall a time when they have ever shared their groceries with me. The real problem is that when you give them a few gifts here & there of your eggs, they start to expect it. If you stop giving them eggs (as I have, because I started selling them) then they start to act different toward you. If they want eggs, why don't they get some chickens of their own. Well, at least that is how it is with my neighbors. They expect me to hand over my garden bounty & eggs just like that simply because we share the same neighborhood. it's ridiculous, I think. Just whatever you do, don't allow them to get to cozy & start expecting things from you, let them know that these are "gifts."

 

[Mattemma]

I have given eggs a few times.Fruit too.Most times I sell eggs.Don't eat them much,so I might as well sell. Sometimes I feel bad about my rooster crowing all the time,but I don't feel the need to apologise or bribe anyone.No one says sorry about their dog,music,or atvs.Sometimes we have to just tolerate one another.

My guy started out pretty quite.There are days where he still is,but other days where he won't shut up at all. I don't know what he is,but he is the absolute sweetest rooster I was lucky to get free off craigs last year. I keep saying I will get rid of him,but if it came down to it I would make him a house chicken if I had too instead of getting rid of him(if the city came knocking).

 

[RedDrgn]

I think it's a shame that we have to feel like we are pressured to give people eggs (bribe/tax) to our neighbors if we want to have hens. I am trying to feed my family here with our eggs. It's not my responsibility to share my food with the neighbors. I don't ever recall a time when they have ever shared their groceries with me. The real problem is that when you give them a few gifts here & there of your eggs, they start to expect it. If you stop giving them eggs (as I have, because I started selling them) then they start to act different toward you. If they want eggs, why don't they get some chickens of their own. Well, at least that is how it is with my neighbors. They expect me to hand over my garden bounty & eggs just like that simply because we share the same neighborhood. it's ridiculous, I think. Just whatever you do, don't allow them to get to cozy & start expecting things from you, let them know that these are "gifts."

You make good points there. The thing is, you don't have to feel any such thing. I know it can be tough not to, but I guess it comes down to the fact that "I want something that I need you to give me some leniency for, what can I offer you in return?" in an effort to keep relations agreeable.

We give eggs to our one neighbor when she needs them, but that's because she's a single mom who financially tight as it is and she house/pet/chicken-sits for us when we're away and we'll do the same for her. So we're close and we do our best to look out for each other. If we don't have eggs when she's getting low, we tell her so (and sometimes we do sell some eggs), but she's absolutely fine with it. It just depends, but you're right, don't invite beggars.

 

[Nettieb413]

Just came across this thread. I have 8 hens and am ordering 10 more chicks this spring. I want a rooster to help protect my girls when they are free ranging maybe eventually breed. I live outside of town but i have neighbors. I live across the street from a cow farm btw. Ive had some neighbors ask why i dont have a rooster yet but i have one or two neighbors im afraid would be upset if he were to crow at 4am. I dont know what decision to make. I know i want a roo badly. Any suggestions? SHould i start sharing eggs before i get one