Rooster crows constantly.

[IamRainey]

Are there other roosters in hearing range? He could be having a crow battle.

I don't have other roosters in my vicinity but there are other chickens. I sometimes think he's trying to invite them into his harem. ...but then I don't think mine crows an inordinate amount.

 

[BGcoop]

Mine also tend to crow more when they see something “new”, anything “new” including: moving leaves, toads, cars on the road..... so if you can block his vision to new stimuli it might help a little bit...... On the other hand mine also crow less when they are out and about free ranging and digging through the leaves in the woods.....So????

 

[timo14]

Thanks again for the responses. We read about putting the rooster in a box at night. He does crow all night long (not all night, but he'll go for about 45 minutes every couple of hours). It's really the day time crowing that is annoying.

He just really likes to crow. Crowing isn't inconsiderate in the eyes of a rooster. Chickens don't think that way. He isn't trying to get on your nerves or the nerves of anyone else, he's just telling the world that this is his territory and those are his hens and that nobody will get away with attacking them. Do you hate the crowing? Do others around you? Has he ever spurred your daughter? How is he with the hens? Does he warn them of danger and lead them to food and such? Has he attacked any predators to ward them off? You have to ask yourself if he's worth it, despite his crowing. If the answer is no, give him away, if yes, learn to love him in spite of the noise. If you don't have any close neighbors and you don't hate the sound of crowing, what's the problem? @hysop has a good answer. Some roosters crow more than others. Some crow for food. My mother's crow when they see us and when they want to eat worms, they also crow in the morning. And there's three of them so they crow back and forth for a while. They do stop crowing after a while and then only crow occasionally, (more if we're out there). Also, all animals tend to mellow out as they get older. He may just be in the hormonal teenage years.

Good questions here. So my neighbors said they didn't mind the crowing... but I know they are holding back. He hasn't spurred anyone yet, but he has pecked her legs a few times. As far as how he is with the hens, since we're first time chicken owners, I'm not really sure how to answer this question. He does seem a bit aggressive with them. He'll "attack" a hen usually once a day. He'll bite them in the back of the neck and sometimes pull a few feathers out. I don't know if this is normal, but it doesn't seem right. We haven't free ranged them for a while... since we finished building the run, so he hasn't really had the opportunity to fend off any predators or been able to lead them to food. We lost a couple birds to hawks right before we finished the run, so we're a little wary of letting them out. Maybe we should let them out and see if he calms down?

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Thanks again for the responses. We read about putting the rooster in a box at night. He does crow all night long (not all night, but he'll go for about 45 minutes every couple of hours). It's really the day time crowing that is annoying.



Good questions here. So my neighbors said they didn't mind the crowing... but I know they are holding back. He hasn't spurred anyone yet, but he has pecked her legs a few times. As far as how he is with the hens, since we're first time chicken owners, I'm not really sure how to answer this question. He does seem a bit aggressive with them. He'll "attack" a hen usually once a day. He'll bite them in the back of the neck and sometimes pull a few feathers out. I don't know if this is normal, but it doesn't seem right. We haven't free ranged them for a while... since we finished building the run, so he hasn't really had the opportunity to fend off any predators or been able to lead them to food. We lost a couple birds to hawks right before we finished the run, so we're a little wary of letting them out. Maybe we should let them out and see if he calms down?

That behaviour, pulling out the neck feathers of hens, is just him wanting to mate. It is perfectly normal, a-okay. The girls might not always like it, but it isn’t necessarily mean or aggressive.

Hawks remember where food is, and they have a good memory. If you already have had hawk issues in the past, I would be hesitant to let them out. I mean you could, but I would personally advise against it.

 

[quailbird]

He just really likes to crow. Crowing isn't inconsiderate in the eyes of a rooster. Chickens don't think that way. He isn't trying to get on your nerves or the nerves of anyone else, he's just telling the world that this is his territory and those are his hens and that nobody will get away with attacking them. Do you hate the crowing? Do others around you? Has he ever spurred your daughter? How is he with the hens? Does he warn them of danger and lead them to food and such? Has he attacked any predators to ward them off? You have to ask yourself if he's worth it, despite his crowing. If the answer is no, give him away, if yes, learn to love him in spite of the noise. If you don't have any close neighbors and you don't hate the sound of crowing, what's the problem? @hysop has a good answer. Some roosters crow more than others. Some crow for food. My mother's crow when they see us and when they want to eat worms, they also crow in the morning. And there's three of them so they crow back and forth for a while. They do stop crowing after a while and then only crow occasionally, (more if we're out there). Also, all animals tend to mellow out as they get older. He may just be in the hormonal teenage years.

Agreed. I hatched a Cotornix quail from supermarket egg. He is 1 year old and for a bird weighing less than 1 lb, he is loud and crows constantly. But in exchange for his loudness, he is incredibly tame and part of my family. He sits with my dog and I and follows us everywhere. He plays with lighted cat toys in his cage.

 

[timo14]

That behaviour, pulling out the neck feathers of hens, is just him wanting to mate. It is perfectly normal, a-okay. The girls might not always like it, but it isn’t necessarily mean or aggressive.

Glad to hear this.

Hawks remember where food is, and they have a good memory. If you already have had hawk issues in the past, I would be hesitant to let them out. I mean you could, but I would personally advise against it.

Maybe I should just let the rooster out!

 

[aart]

That behaviour, pulling out the neck feathers of hens, is just him wanting to mate. It is perfectly normal, a-okay. The girls might not always like it, but it isn’t necessarily mean or aggressive.

They grab the neck to start the dominance or mating process to help him stay balanced when mounting.
Feathers should not be pulled out.
If the female stops and squats to accept being mated that's fine,
if he won't let go and leave her alone, or chases her down and keeps trying, that's unacceptable, and male should be isolated..... or eaten.

 

[birdlover2]

Thanks again for the responses. We read about putting the rooster in a box at night. He does crow all night long (not all night, but he'll go for about 45 minutes every couple of hours). It's really the day time crowing that is annoying.



Good questions here. So my neighbors said they didn't mind the crowing... but I know they are holding back. He hasn't spurred anyone yet, but he has pecked her legs a few times. As far as how he is with the hens, since we're first time chicken owners, I'm not really sure how to answer this question. He does seem a bit aggressive with them. He'll "attack" a hen usually once a day. He'll bite them in the back of the neck and sometimes pull a few feathers out. I don't know if this is normal, but it doesn't seem right. We haven't free ranged them for a while... since we finished building the run, so he hasn't really had the opportunity to fend off any predators or been able to lead them to food. We lost a couple birds to hawks right before we finished the run, so we're a little wary of letting them out. Maybe we should let them out and see if he calms down?

Crowing is what roosters do, especially in the day. I don't know how to help you there. The biting on the neck is mating behavior. Generally teenage males do it because they're bustling with hormones and aren't sure how to romance a hen yet. Also, the hens don't seem to know how to lie down and submit to roosters at this age, and I don't think they want anything to do with mating at this age either. Roosters usually crow before hens lay eggs, and likewise they usually want to mate before hens do, which can lead to some problems early on. I would wait and see if he calms down as he gets older, or he gets worse. If he hasn't spurred anyone then I would keep him for now. Has he ever pecked you or only your daughter? How does he interact with you? You could try free-ranging, but I would supervise them if you do. Do you have a dog? If so, is it one that would kill the chickens or get along with them? Having a trained dog to protect the chickens is a great way to protect them in case the rooster messes up, but a dog that isn't trained to do that sort of thing would or could kill the chickens themself, so I don't really know how to train/get a dog of that kind but I know others on here have suggested that especially in regards to free-ranging. Does the roo tid-bit? Make high-pitched noises and pick up and drop a piece of food? He's trying to give food to his hens then, that's a sign of a good roo. Does he make a warning noise when he sees a predator, such as a cat or dog or even you? That means he's alert and at least warning his hens of danger. Does he dance around hens with his wing touching the ground? That's also mating behavior and is normal.

 

[RainbowHen]

Maybe I should just let the rooster out!

Too funny Honestly this would drive me insane and I love roosters and their crowing. Too much of a good thing for sure. If it's costing you your sanity then, to me, it's not worth it. You can try to fix it but I have no advice on that, personally. Just support! Hang in there

 

[greginfla]

(Good idea, they say that dark helps roosters to not crow, and maybe lack of space and hens will surpress the crowing too.)

I guess you catch him while he is asleep each night?