Rooster/cockerel starting to crow- who’s used a ‘collar’?

[Duckfarmer1]

I am not trying to start something. Just thinking out of the box.

I understand thinking differently...and asking questions..that’s how we learn...I’m on a different forum for livestock and I often get bullied for dumb questions or trying to save money...there’s no harm in asking...but...as long as people realize there is harm in hurting peoples’ feelings and hurting animals

 

[Shahnaz13]

We had long ago a beloved rooster named Philip and you know the story about the ONE bad (mean) neighbour.... Smokey (Philips predecessor) used to go at night by himself into a shed and was not heard by the neighbours, Philip wasn't interested :-(. Off to the vet we went and he explained to me that cocks have a voice box which sits in the upper chest and he would TRY to glue it shut. It worked - partially :-(. After that Philip was a rooster "with asthma" because his face got all red when he made sorry sounding noises, poor baby. In the end he went to a friend's smallholding :-(.
I think finding a lovely home is more in every bodies interest than trying all sort of things :-(.

 

[Ila88]

Collars never worked for me either. Not only did it not suppress the crow, I think it made my rooster more aggressive. I asked my vet about piercing the neck sac, but he absolutely refused. Good luck.

 

[PITSNPEEPS]

I feel for you and was in your position earlier this week when my most cuddly chicken ever finally decided to start being the little man he was meant to be. I also, unfortunately, live in a residential neighborhood within city limits so once he started crowing I had to say a sad goodbye and find him a new home because I was not going to risk the right of having my little flock because of him. Fortunately because he was such a sweet guy he found a good family.
Good luck!

 

[bfc chicks]

It’s a rooster they crow. Why would you want to alter the bird just to suit you and you’re modern living arrangements? If you live very close to neighbors you had to know there was a pretty good chance you would end up with a rooster when you got chickens.

Roosterhavic, with our modern advancements???? When you buy pullets you should get pullets!!!, that being said I have a small farmette a mile from the borough and raise cows, goats, sheep, dogs, ducks, geese, rabbits, mice, and CHICKENS, have 7 blood lines of them, and although my house is well insulated, every morning i hear at least 3 or 4 of my beautiful male birds singing me the morning blues. I have found that sound travels through open areas and in the direction it is directed. You could move his roost to point away from the neighbors house and better yet insulated a night box that is easily cleaned and put him in it. Lot of bother but if he means that much to you as mine mean to me its worth it.

 

[Double Yolked]

The bird whose photo I use for my avatar would not be collared successfully. Nothing stopped his bellow. But on smaller roosters I've had some good success in lowering the decibels to tolerable. The collar does work for some. One thing, if you have a thick necked meaty bird (like my Blue Wyandotte) they can fight around it. But a thinner necked lighter rooster may be muffleable depending on width/size of collar and how tight you can make it without choking the chicken.

 

[Skippersnh]

both options your thinking of are inhumane
i would find him a new home since you dont seem to like a rooster for what hes meant for

 

[Popo]

You can go online to find out how to build a sound proof room. But it would be better to go with actually build with wood or professional sound proofing because most of the cheap ways require lots of layers of cloth. And there is no ventilation. I had a carpenter build a sound proof room for my pet rooster. ( I would recommend you keep him in there only over night so he will crow in there). So yeah I really loved my rooster. It cost me @ $200. It was big enough to have his perch and a cot and chair and small table for me and give him enough air/ ventilation for the time he needed to spend in there. Look at it this way - it would cost you just as much to try to get a vet to fix him- and how much do you love him. I spent over $250 on my rooster to amputate a toenail that was turning really septic. And my sister spent thousands to fix her puppy broken hip.

 

[Kusanar]

This will start a uproar. But has anyone ever tried a dog collar for barking? One for small dogs. Just a idea don't even know if it would work.

I was actually wondering the same thing. There are a few ways to make dogs not bark, I have tried one that is a box that sits on a shelf and makes ultra sonic sound when it hears noise above a certain level, not sure if that would bother the birds or not, I know it made my dog cringe but didn't make him not bark.
The thing I have found that does work is a shock collar that works off of vibrations in the neck when he barks. It starts out gentle and gets progressively harsher until it gets a result (quiet dog), that works, I sometimes hear a yap out of him, but it is a single bark, not hours long solid barking at 2am... It has even toned down his barking when he's not wearing it, right now he's not wearing it and he'll bark maybe 10 times in a row and then shuts up, if he starts up with the hour long sessions the collar goes back on for a while to re-enforce the lesson... It may possibly work on a bird... The box may be a bit big for a neck, but maybe could put it on a harness on his back with the vibration sensor still in a loose collar around the neck/chest area. Thinking out loud, having the electrodes on his back may actually work better, chickens have aerial predators, if every time he crows something attacks his back... he may assume that he's drawing in predators...

 

[Popo]

Oh by the way my rooster lived for over 18 years. I found him running in circles on a street because one of his eyes was damaged and he could only see out of one eye. He was a little chick and no hen was around. He had a great life with me. His sound proof room was in the garage. I would spend hours with him during the day just stratching his neck. I cured him twice for bumble foot- a lot of cleaning out crud and swabbing and bandages every two days. And yes he would just lay in my arms and let me do this and yes it caused him pain but he never complained or struggled. And this was long ago when everyone said there was no cure for bumble foot. He had his toys and lots of treats. My spotted dove was a little over 21 years old and was free range through out the house when he passed away. I took care of my patients and my house full of pets.