rooster boxes and cold weather

[AinaWGSD]

We keep our rooster in a large dog crate covered with a heavy blanket in the garage at night. It helps to muffle the 5am crowing, and we are hoping it will allow our neighbors to tolerate him (so far we've had him nearly 3 months with no complaints from the neighbors yet). However, I am a little concerned about how he will do with the cold weather when it gets really cold later this winter. So far he doesn't seem to be bothered by our overnight lows, but I don't think we've dropped below the low 20's yet this year and definitely not into the low teens or single digits. I am wondering if it would be better during the really cold months to put one of the girls in with him.

I will also admit that I am considering giving him an overnight companion for other reasons too. I have noticed that he is much calmer around us since we moved the new birds out to the coop and I've been picking him up to move him to and from the garage twice a day. Neither of the new pullets will walk past me when I open the run to let the birds out and will run away from me if I make any move in their direction. The rooster still moves away from us if we walk towards him, but he will calmly and readily walk past us and we can walk very close to him before he feels the need to move away. I am hoping that putting one of the new girls in with him at night might have a simlar effect on her, that she learns that we aren't going to eat her or harm her.

Any thoughts?

 

[Tressa27884]

He should be fine on his own in the garage. I do the same thing with my roos every once in awhile, except I don't give them a kennel to sleep in. You may want to give him hay and a way to roost, but other than that I think he'll be fine.

As to adding a hen, it's more likely he'll get protective of her and less friendly than it is that she'll learn to warm up to you. In my experience the best way to get the girls to warm up to you is to hand feed them really yummy treats. Mine love cooked oatmeal.

Hope this helps.

Tressa

 

[hcppam]

Have mine in a dog house outside, he has hay for bedding, covered with a blanket and some snow, been down to 9 here and he's okay. Mine has been crowing for 2 months, so far so good,

I had one of the girls in with him and it made no difference in calming him down, I felt sorry for her being trapped in there with him crowing at 5 am. He puts himself to bed if I stand there and watch so he doesn't go with the girls to bed. My girls are friendly so I can't say or not if putting a hen in there with him will calm her down.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Thanks for the replies! I guess I'll just let it be as is for now. He seems ok with deep pine shavings, although since that particular dog crate isn't in good enough shape to be used as anything other than temporary chicken housing I might take a drill to it and fasten a perch for him (here's hoping it isn't too UV damaged to stand up to that! it's spent the better part of the last two years sitting out in the backyard). I'll leave the girls be since it seems like it will be fine without a companion for warmth and grabbing her off the perch too would add a second trip to/from the garage and just be more of a hassle.