Rooster Crowing "too" early?

[Aunt Angus]

He is really pretty. Bright red comb, reddish brown and shiny purplish-green feathers. Not exactly sure how big he is. He's definitely bigger than my hens. He eats like a pig but he's very lean, definitely not a porker.

This is the most recent picture I have of him. It was 2 weeks ago.

View attachment 1975135

And here he is crowing last week-

Oh how I wished my little cockerel crowed that politely!!! What a lovely fella!

 

[Trevorusn]

Those are late chickens. Mine goes to sleep at 4pm. I’m not sure at what time they are up. The auto door is set up to close and open according to the sun up and sun set.

Mine in winter are usually all set by 1700, but Ruger will still crow periodically throughout the night.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I would put him in an enclosed nest box where he cannot get out and about until you let him out. You and your neighbors will appreciate it.

 

[Stephine]

The coop is within sight of my neighbor's house and driveway and our house. I hadn't gotten up but I live with 4 other people and any of them could've been awake doing something or letting one of the dogs out. Also the neighbors' have a motion light in their driveway that would be visible to the chickens if it were set off. Planes fly directly over our house all the time. We have dozens of whitetail deer constantly running through the woods in the back. We also have raccoons around but I rarely see them. I suppose it could've been any of those things.



That's practically a cuss word! We don't have no stinkin' HOA!

Ha! Considering all that - yes, he’ll be crowing all night. Roosters crow like dogs bark - so much can set them off.

 

[CamTheChknKeeper]

Ha! Considering all that - yes, he’ll be crowing all night. Roosters crow like dogs bark - so much can set them off.

Oooooohh, AhA.
I was going to start a new thread, so I’ll just put this here, even though my questions really have already been answered:
I have two roosters, and crowing is no problem in our neighborhood, plus we live pretty far back on 10+ acres.

But our newest addition starts to crow occasionally well before sunrise!

Could this be due to our light-activated outdoor lamp? it goes on at dusk, off at dawn, and we need it unfortunately.

Perhaps if I block the light from that side of the run? His coop is a box inside a secured run right now, but he can easily get out of the box into the run area (I have the 2 Roos separated right now).

 

[Stephine]

Oooooohh, AhA.
I was going to start a new thread, so I’ll just put this here, even though my questions really have already been answered:
I have two roosters, and crowing is no problem in our neighborhood, plus we live pretty far back on 10+ acres.

But our newest addition starts to crow occasionally well before sunrise!

Could this be due to our light-activated outdoor lamp? it goes on at dusk, off at dawn, and we need it unfortunately.

Perhaps if I block the light from that side of the run? His coop is a box inside a secured run right now, but he can easily get out of the box into the run area (I have the 2 Roos separated right now).

How big is the box? Does it have ventilation, a roost? My roos firmly stay on the roost at night, even if they wake to crow - they would never go back out in the run in the dark... chickens have a harder time then us seeing in low light. So, if the box isn’t adequately equipped for roosting, the roo has no choice but spend nights out in the run and he’ll be responding to anything he thinks is unusual. The more light he has to see by the more he can see and comment on, but hearing odd sounds can be just as alarming for him, so don’t expect him to be completely quiet even in the dark.

 

[Stephine]

Just to add: My current roo will crow when he hears unfamiliar voices. He is completely quiet when it’s just me coming out to lock up the coop after dark, but when I bring someone else along (which I don’t often do) and they say anything, he will start crowing. I talk to them while I lock up (close pop door, close coop window shutters, lock run door and coop door), so it’s not the commotion or my voice that sets him off, but as soon as someone with me says a word, the roo listens up and starts commenting... That said, he is so much better than our neighbor’s yappy dogs who will bark at the same, should be familiar by now-things daily and for years...

 

[CamTheChknKeeper]

How big is the box? Does it have ventilation, a roost? My roos firmly stay on the roost at night, even if they wake to crow - they would never go back out in the run in the dark... chickens have a harder time then us seeing in low light. So, if the box isn’t adequately equipped for roosting, the roo has no choice but spend nights out in the run and he’ll be responding to anything he thinks is unusual. The more light he has to see by the more he can see and comment on, but hearing odd sounds can be just as alarming for him, so don’t expect him to be completely quiet even in the dark.

I see! Thanks for both posts.
His box is only a large cardboard one, open on one end, inside the run that I added cardboard on three sides to for windbreaks before the storm. So all of it is currently open on one side, the box turned 90* away from the open end of the run. The box is definitely not! Large enough for a bar, though I do see him settle in at night like a hen on the shavings.
All that is almost moot though, because I managed to move him to the kennel run with a dogloo inside it (also perhaps not large, but it Is! possible for me to put a roosting bar in there, at least a few inches off the floor for him.)
I’m hoping when I finish a secure door for the dogloo (yes it’s vented at the peak) I can leave him in there for the next few weeks so they can see but not reach each other.
I also have the luxury of time each morning and night to go out and open the coop doors in the morning and then close them in the evening. So once I get the door done I can close him in at night for safety, as there’s no floor in the kennel run and only chain link fencing.
Dogloos are plastic, but very very thick plastic, so with a secured door he’ll be safe overnights until they acclamate to each other (or not ,’8’o ).

 

[CamTheChknKeeper]

The run is on the right here; and of course the snow has abated and I cleared off the roof mesh and put some shavings down on the snow inside, as well as waterer and food, corn, scratch, a few pieces of fruit. The ‘gloo is the largest size made, so nice and airy for his size.

 

[ariri30]

Just to add: My current roo will crow when he hears unfamiliar voices. He is completely quiet when it’s just me coming out to lock up the coop after dark, but when I bring someone else along (which I don’t often do) and they say anything, he will start crowing. I talk to them while I lock up (close pop door, close coop window shutters, lock run door and coop door), so it’s not the commotion or my voice that sets him off, but as soon as someone with me says a word, the roo listens up and starts commenting... That said, he is so much better than our neighbor’s yappy dogs who will bark at the same, should be familiar by now-things daily and for years...

Same here with the neighbor dogs