Should I get a rooster? I live in a neighborhood where the houses are fairly close. I have always wanted one but I have to think about the neighbors.
I want one, too - but I don't want any of my neighbors complaining about my clucks, so I'm not going to get one. Roosters can be LOUD.
Get to know the neighbors. Give them eggs. Offer them fertilizer. Take them cookies. Our neighbor that we give eggs to is always bringing us stuff now. How cool is that. I asked him if he wanted some bagged chicken poop and he said, throw it over the fence, I'll use it. I'm hoping when my blue americauna starts crowing it won't be too loud. I'm against code with a rooster BUT I could almost argue that I'm in the "Heritage Breed" neighborhood which is just across the street where 100s of chickens run wild.
are there any laws or ordinances that say you cant?,, if not,, and you like your neighbors,,no,, if you dont care bout them,, yes. this is an question ONLY you can answer.
If the ordinances are favorable, it would be great to give a home to a needy rooster. Everywhere I go, I see ads for roosters needing homes. I ended up with my 2 roos accidentally, and thought my neighbors would kill me. Especially since I have one family on the street that is really mean. But in the past 6 months, I've talked with each neighbor on my block (in the heart of the city), and they all told me they love the sound! I do put them in an enclosed coop at night, though, and don't let them out until an appropriate hour. The coop doesn't eliminate the noise, just dulls it. I say GO FOR IT! (If it's legal.) But try to adopt, instead of buying a chick!
Not all roos have the same shrill crow. Some actually have a soft voice. I think Brahmas are soft spoken for roos. The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens says, "Even when crowing they know how to behave: They make relatively little noise and are not fanatic crowers."
If your neighbors are mean get a longcrower. One of my neighbors complained that my roosters crow all day. I told him I have the same complaint about his dogs at night and he owes me 75.00 when his tree fell on my fence. He told me that the noise wasn't that bad and never came back.
