Sound of Silence 6am - No More Crowing

[lizgarf]

We gave up... its been in the high 90s and 100s the past few weeks and don't want them over heating, I have noticed though that it isn't much different having the socks on or off.... They still crow.

I would think that socks would be too elastic. If there is any room for the throat to expand, then it won't make a difference. I think the key is getting some vertical flexibility, so they're not too uncomfortable, but not much horizontal flexibility. With my home-made collar, Desi still crows too loudly for my preferences, but it is significantly quieter than without a collar, and he doesn't seem overly bothered by it.

 

[LindaB220]

Set over again! They only Allowed us to either plead guilty or not guilty of course we pleaded not guilty. Then they made us turn around and leave. Get this… I get home and took the advice of Pat Foreman, the lady at the livestock conservancy recommended that I contact her… She is the author of "City Chicks" and a huge advocate for stainable living. She was real busy but told me to find the exact rooster ordinance. And I did… But I really didn't, because, come to find out, get this… There Is No Chicken Ordinance in my city Nor Is There A Rooster Ordinance LOL what I found out is that they "say" that chickens are allowed and roosters are not allowed within city limits. There are no ordinances written~ there are no flock size limitations, there are no restrictions or coop requirements~ nothing!!! It's interesting, in the May city newsletter, they have a section where it says "Roosters are not allowed in city limits" and then that is followed up with an ordinance code which anyone would assume was the chicken/rooster ordinance, but NO. The code is only the city noise ordinance!! Pretty presumptious if not downright discrimination ask me but that's another subject. At first when she asked me to find the ordinance I was a little puzzled because she said that is the number one thing to do! Smart lady!! She knows what she's doing!! This is what she does, she creates chicken laws and she obviously had her radar on telling me that. She probably runs into this all the time.. So to answer your question nothing happened today, they will mail us a letter informing us of the date of our trial… Trial… Seriously?. Just one last thing, she referred me to a man by the name of Pete Kennedy, president of the FCLDF (Farm-To-Consumer -Legal-Defense Fund. She also mentioned landmark decisions are made with this sort of thing. So you know what? I'm retired. I'm a little bored being retired. So I think I'm going to get me some landmark decisions made!
In the meantime though… I'm going to spend some time figuring this dang rooster color thing out. I went to JoAnnes fabrics a couple nights ago and picked up all kinds of gear to try to make our own collar. What I like most is this really soft elastic that I found. It's on the thick side but also very very soft. I even found one that is white with little gold specs in it… Just like the feathers of a Sultan Roo I know we also purchased some really good velcro made especially for fabric. Boy oh boy, I sure hope I can get this crowing situation handled without feeling like I'm damaging him or his character! I'm thinking he's going like the white & gold though I really do LOL
And,
Thanks for asking!
Wordy I know. That happens with me sometimes.....

It sounds like you have got it made. They have to PROVE that you broke the law. And they have to show the exact ordinance. I worked for the county DA's office and the judges are smart. Even in small towns.

 

[Faraday40]

Quote:

Set over again! They only Allowed us to either plead guilty or not guilty of course we pleaded not guilty. Then they made us turn around and leave. Get this… I get home and took the advice of Pat Foreman, the lady at the livestock conservancy recommended that I contact her… She is the author of "City Chicks" and a huge advocate for stainable living. She was real busy but told me to find the exact rooster ordinance. And I did… But I really didn't, because, come to find out, get this… There Is No Chicken Ordinance in my city Nor Is There A Rooster Ordinance LOL what I found out is that they "say" that chickens are allowed and roosters are not allowed within city limits. There are no ordinances written~ there are no flock size limitations, there are no restrictions or coop requirements~ nothing!!! It's interesting, in the May city newsletter, they have a section where it says "Roosters are not allowed in city limits" and then that is followed up with an ordinance code which anyone would assume was the chicken/rooster ordinance, but NO. The code is only the city noise ordinance!! Pretty presumptious if not downright discrimination ask me but that's another subject. At first when she asked me to find the ordinance I was a little puzzled because she said that is the number one thing to do! Smart lady!! She knows what she's doing!! This is what she does, she creates chicken laws and she obviously had her radar on telling me that. She probably runs into this all the time.. So to answer your question nothing happened today, they will mail us a letter informing us of the date of our trial… Trial… Seriously?. Just one last thing, she referred me to a man by the name of Pete Kennedy, president of the FCLDF (Farm-To-Consumer -Legal-Defense Fund. She also mentioned landmark decisions are made with this sort of thing. So you know what? I'm retired. I'm a little bored being retired. So I think I'm going to get me some landmark decisions made!
In the meantime though… I'm going to spend some time figuring this dang rooster color thing out. I went to JoAnnes fabrics a couple nights ago and picked up all kinds of gear to try to make our own collar. What I like most is this really soft elastic that I found. It's on the thick side but also very very soft. I even found one that is white with little gold specs in it… Just like the feathers of a Sultan Roo I know we also purchased some really good velcro made especially for fabric. Boy oh boy, I sure hope I can get this crowing situation handled without feeling like I'm damaging him or his character! I'm thinking he's going like the white & gold though I really do LOL
And,
Thanks for asking!
Wordy I know. That happens with me sometimes.....

Please keep us informed of the progress. We had a rooster under the same conditions - not technically illegal, but implied by the noise ordinance. All the neighbors loved our roo but we didn't want to deal with the village. We took about a year to find a great home and thankfully no one ever complained. I miss our boy very much. Now one of my daughter's chicks looks male. Tempted to keep him at least long enough to see if his crow is quiet.

I was also wondering if a variance would be an option. In your case, the breed is very rare. I have no idea if it's possible, just throwing ideas out there.

Our village codes are contradictory. One states that your chicken yard must be 25 ft from your neighbor's residence & 100ft from any public access like sidewalk, road, etc. A few more discuss sanitation & not allowing animals to roam free around the town. (basic common sense) A friend had an issue with the village & was told to remove all her chickens from the property. They cited a building code from the 1970s that said it is not permissible to have a secondary structure on one's property to house rabbits, poultry, or pigeons. (???) How can they have 6 different codes about poultry, then use an obscure ordinance in the building code to say chickens are illegal. Perhaps one can have poultry but the coop is against the law.

In my friend's case, she got village visits & nasty letters after only 2 weeks of crowing. (We had about 1 year with no problems - and our boy was LOUD & frequent.) I wonder if they purposely kept the old law on the books just so they could use it if someone complained.

 

[My Hens and Roo]

WOW...All I can say is WOW!!! She has gone too far and this is being blown out of purportion!! The lady next door is not a nice person! She started in calling the police on Monday and has averaged 6 calls a day. She is telling them he crows from 6am and goes nonstop. Truth is, with the heat lately, they lay around pretty much all day in their dust bathe and don't make a peep. It's too hot for any kind of egg production for that matter. The police say they have to respond to each call. They are being cool at this point (the officers) and by now, we are all on a first name basis and they will even accept a glass of iced tea while we visit.
So my favorite cop comes to the door yesterday apologizing all over the place saying he is only the messenger. He hands me a letter from the police chief. In the letter it states We Must Get Rid Of Our Rooster Within 7 Days or they can re-cite us and begin imposing fines. Yep that's what it says. We haven't been given our trial date yet!
WOW!!! If I'm not mistaken, according to the 14th amendment to the US Constitution, there is a little gem of a clause called DUE PROCESS! Which "prohibits state and local government officials from depriving persons of life, liberty and property without legislative authorization! It is a legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights that are owed to a person. It gives us the right to grieve (disagree) and to appeal. When a government harms a person without following the exact course of the law, this constitutes a due process violation, which offends against the rule of law".!!
Here is the most interesting part. With all the police visits this week. Not one of the officers has seen nor have they heard a rooster crow. Not Once!!
.....Anyone??

 

[Faraday40]

WOW is right! I can see why you need to vent. Is there someone you know that can "keep" the rooster until after your court date? Do you have any connections within the local government? Would the author you mentioned be willing to help on your behalf?

In my friend's case, we researched the wording of the ordinances & she called up the mayor- who happened to be a friend of her parents. After she basically read all the contradicting laws to him & asked for advice, he agreed that the village needed to iron things out. Two days later, she got a new letter (no longer stating poultry is illegal) but instead requiring her to keep the hens confined to their coop & run. Her yard is completely fenced in, so I can't understand why they can't walk through the grass. For now it's a small win. I see a privacy fence in her future.

The 2 big things that helped her case was knowing someone & always showing a friendly attitude (ie: the iced tea). At this point, the worst has already happened: they told you to get rid of the rooster. It wouldn't hurt to discuss things and make friends with someone in authority. Perhaps they can waive the fines until trial or find a compromise. If it's the noise, could you insulate the coop & keep him confined until 8am?

 

[My Hens and Roo]

Oh, He and his mate are confined to a spare bathroom upstairs from 8pm until the next morning until around 10am. He crows in the morning when he greets his girls,then is silent for the most part (unless he senses danger or the girls have a scuffle etc) until 4pm. At 4 is when we do their main feeding, routine cleaning and whatnot, so he's especially happy and excited to see us at that time. After that, they just forage as chickens do filling their crop before settling in for the night and he will crow like crazy for the girls to get to bed. So we are talking about three "disruptions"a day. And get this...We live with railroad tracks behind our home which are busier than usual this time of year transporting lumber to a mill that is about 12 miles west of us. That train is so loud it makes our house shake! This tells me that grief likes company. She miserableabout something in her life so she picks on small children and animals because she can! It makes me sad that she can't find something positive in her life to focus on*

 

[My Hens and Roo]

That is encouraging news Studio2770 . Good to hear.

 

[lizgarf]

Oh, He and his mate are confined to a spare bathroom upstairs from 8pm until the next morning until around 10am. He crows in the morning when he greets his girls,then is silent for the most part (unless he senses danger or the girls have a scuffle etc) until 4pm. At 4 is when we do their main feeding, routine cleaning and whatnot, so he's especially happy and excited to see us at that time. After that, they just forage as chickens do filling their crop before settling in for the night and he will crow like crazy for the girls to get to bed. So we are talking about three "disruptions"a day. And get this...We live with railroad tracks behind our home which are busier than usual this time of year transporting lumber to a mill that is about 12 miles west of us. That train is so loud it makes our house shake! This tells me that grief likes company. She miserableabout something in her life so she picks on small children and animals because she can! It makes me sad that she can't find something positive in her life to focus on*

Oh gosh, I don't know what to say. It sounds like with a neighbor like that, there won't be much of a solution. You can try to befriend her as much as you can, but if your neighbor hates your rooster's crowing and you don't have a right to have a rooster (as opposed to it just not being against the law to have one), you probably won't be able to keep him next to this neighbor. I'm just lucky that so far, no one seems to hate my rooster's crowing more than I do.
I agree that finding a place for him until you have a court date may be the ticket. It could be a very long process to prove you have a right to keep him, and it might not be successful.
As for due process, they could lock you up for a few days before arraignment, let alone a trial, if you were going to be charged with a crime, so I don't think it covers getting to keep a loud rooster until a court date, which would be subject to a standard cease and desist letter for a nuisance.

 

[My Hens and Roo]

I wasn't aware I could be arrested by word of mouth. The police have visited me 16 times this week and have not seen nor heard a rooster...Not Once!!! Don't you see? This lady is lying to the police saying our rooster is crowing constantly over and over for hours at a time. And I have other neighbors who will stand as witness.

I realize it is hard to believe there is a rooster out there which doesn't crow a lot, but this one does not.
I owned a rooster prior to this little guy (aren't I the lucky one who picks roosters when wanting hens originally) He was in the Black Australorp bin. Emu, we ended up calling him, all 19 pounds of his Jersey Giantness DID crow from morning until night, repeatedly. He was a beautiful, beautiful bird and he knew it! I knew he was too much. The girls certainly had "too much" Emu, and Big Muu as they call him now, lives on 100 acres just south of us with his 8 Jersey wives. Gladly.
This little guy is endangered, he weighs all of 2.5 pounds, he is my grand daughters rooster and she handles him every day. She shows him and he is very special to her...To all of us.he makes no more noise than any other "pet". Quiet, passive, gentle rooster. Since there is not one law on the book in Cornelius, Oregon USA, not even one word in the entire charter that says "rooster", I feel I need to at least try to not only keep him, but also to urge the counsil that laws can be established, other than two sentences stating you must not possess any animal that makes a repeated noise that will travel beyond the border of the owners property. That is a very unrealistic law in the first place. I can hear my neighbors cat meow from my house easily. And with the help of the FTCLDF I am gonna give it a shot.

 

[My Hens and Roo]

I must be dealing with his wife. It's true! Misery loves company!!