Stop Those Cockerels Crowing
I quite like the sound of a cockle-doodle-do. It's homely, comforting, grounding. BUT it loses it's charm at 4.30am on a balmy summer's morning. My neighbours probably like it even less. There's something about roosters that really rile people.
I get it; if you're in an urban environment, being woken by a cockerel can be infuriating. If it happens throughout daylight hours that's another story - in my eyes, anyway. I'm lucky never to have gotten into trouble by my council for noise. But if anyone comes knocking, I'll quite happily reel off the list of other offending noises to my ears - dogs barking, lorries beeping, motorbikes racing, not to mention general background noise of busy suburbia.
However, I get off the point...keeping cockerels quiet during the night and early morning is essential if you want to keep neighbours happy and get a good night's sleep yourself. I think it's also good practice so that if anyone official does come calling, you can show them the steps you're already taking to minimise any disturbance. And this is why I use 'sleep-boxes'.
Watch the Video Below or Scroll Further for Details.
Sleep Boxes
As the name suggests, a sleep-box is a box your cockerel sleeps in! By popping him into a box and shutting him away in a quiet, dark room, you can simulate an extended night time. So, whilst your hens might get up at 5am and start searching for the early worms, your rooster will carry on sleeping blissfully away until you want him to get up.
The perfect thing is a poultry crate or a cat carrier. These are robust enough to keep cockerels inside yet have lots of ventilation to keep your birds happy. I have five boys that get shut away every night - four in the poultry crate and one in the cat carrier.
Ventilation
It's really important to ensure there's enough ventilation. So no shutting them into a cardboard box without holes. Chickens have a high body temperature and need good ventilation, especially at night, to stop them getting sick. So, although I cover the boxes in a light blanket, there's enough airflow to keep the boys happy.
Fighting Cockerels?
One thing that's super important is not to put cockerels together that don't know each other. It might be night, it might be dark, but that won't stop them fighting. I have four boys (three d'Anvers and a Silkie) who all know each other and will happily sleep side by side at night. My Ixworth, Eddie, however, has to go on his own as a) he's a big boy and b) he'd happily destroy the others!
If in doubt, use multiple crates so you don't come down to a bloody disaster in the morning.
For How Long?
In those dark winter months, when the sun can set at 16.30 and not rise again until 7 or 8am, the nights are long. Unlike hens who need longer hours of daylight to stimulate egg production, roosters don't mind being kept in the dark a little longer. Generally, I let them out between 8.30am and 9am; after more people have gotten up for work or school. Then, in the longer summer days, I try to have them inside by 21:00.
If you're considering having a rooster, I highly recommend doing this if you're worried about the sound. I dream of a day where I can just build myself some chicken tractors and not worry about the nightly boxing routine but, for now, it's a demand of urban homesteading.
I do this with my boys. They still crow, one from about 4am and the other from about 6am, but one is in the shed and one in the back bedroom so they can't be heard. I've also trained the light Sussex not to crow in the day and the araucana is currently in training. A lot of people work shifts here, so I don't want to upset them.
You train them??!?!?!?
PLEASE TELL ME MORE!
Are you The Rooster Whisperer? I would LOVE to cut down daylight noise too.
Lol!. I wish! Not all roos are trainable unfortunately. Roast, our LS, was fairly quiet and placid anyway. The araucana is taking longer, but it's working. We had an australorp early on and had no luck with him, although we hadn't really figured the best pattern out then.
I have written an article, but its for Australasian Poultry Magazine due out in December, so I can't share that here, but at some point I will share something. Do you use Instagram? If so I wrote some little bits on there and those posts are tagged #TheTamingOfTheRoo for easy access. Go from the bottom up. They're by no means comprehensive, but should give you an idea. The account is public so you can view it even without your own account. My user name is the same as here.
Just a couple of notes to forewarn you though; little roosters as you probably know crow more frequently and, I'm finding, take longer to train. As you probably also know roosters set each other off. So I don't know how you'll go trying to work with several at once. Roast was already pretty chill by the time we decided to keep Zeus and wasnt set off by crowing any more. However, if he crows (it's spring now so some days it happens, he doesn't crow at all in autumn and winter), the Zeus can't seem to stop himself responding! Teenage hormones I guess! Lol!
VERY interesting. Followed you on a Insta and looked at those posts - am going to try it. I have five cockerels so I guess I'll try and identify who's top dog and start with him first.
Very interesting, useful to know. Luckily don't need this as we live in the countryside but for town chicken dwellers most helpful.
It's helped me out immensely. I've never had anyone complain - but then I've ALWAYS done this. I'm sure if I left them out, there'd be a few knocks at the door.
Wise move.
Good tips! I would have never thought of a sleep box!
It works really well!