Cockerels - not horsey but a country matter ;)

teacups said:
Maybe I've missed it, but has anyone yet suggested that perhaps cockerel owners, particularly of the very loud cockerels or the ones which start up well before the dawn chorus, could just be expected to be a little more considerate towards their neighbours?

What exactly is so hard about shutting your cockerel in at night so that it doesn't start crowing until later, and when it does the noise is muffled.

Not everyone is a good sleeper, and if one of my neighbours got to the stage of having to ask, I'd be mortified.

Around here, yes the crows etc start cawing at 5 a.m., but some cockerels start an hour or two before that, and it makes all the difference to those who do get woken up. Shutting windows is fine in winter, but not in summer. Why be so bullish about it when shutting it in at night is such a small thing to do, and will create so much goodwill?
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Couldn't have put it better myself. Especially as OP has lived there longer its not like they have turned up in the area as the 'newbie' and started demanding things! This neighbour with the cockerel is out of order. I would also be mortified if a neighbour came and complained but then I was always brought up to respect the people around you.
 
1life said:
Interesting - is the article in response to anything or just general info?
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I believe it is just an article regarding them in the poultry section of the magazine

I now have a bit of time to be able to write most of it out for you so here goes .....

When the cock crows.
Why your noisy cockerel could cost you £20,000.

"They announce the break of day, they try to protect their hens against predators and they ensure the next generation of poultry. Until recently, most poultry keepers kept a cockerel. But as more and more "townies" move to the countryside, attitudes have changed - leaving many smallholders frustrated and irritated.

It is always helpful if you get on with your neighbours. A little bit of thought can go a long way. The first question to ask yourself is whether you really need a cockerel at all.

If the primary purpose of your flock is to produce eggs, then the answer is no. Hens will lay without the help of a cockerel. But their eggs will not be fertile, and so none will hatch. Should you aim to breed your own birds, then a cockerel is essential.

Some breeds can be aggressive and would not be suitable if you have young children. Good breeds to consider as pets include: Marans, New Hampshire Red, Rhode Island Red, Sussex and Orpington as well as smaller breeds such as Silkies and Wyandottes.

Thought should be given as to where to house the rooster - he should be kept as far from neighbouring properties as possible, locked safely up in the coop each night and not let out until a reasonable hour in the mornings. A cockerel is a young male bird under a year old. Once he has had his first adult moult, at around 18 months, he is known as a rooster or cock.

If you hatch your own chicks, you will sooner or later have a surplus of cockerels. Don't expect to be able to sell them all - be prepared to cull, particularly if they do not meet breed standards. One solution is to fatten the cockerels for the table: they will be ready at around six months. Cockerels eat more then hens, so be prepared for the additional feed costs.

Don't buy an elderly cock - as fertility decreases with age. A bought cockerel should be allowed to run with the hens for three to four weeks before you can begin to collect fertilised eggs to put either under a broody or in an incubator. This is because sperm can remain viable in the oviduct for up to 21 days.

If your hens free range over a large area, a good rooster will prevent the flock from straying too far. In some instances, a rooster will challenge the predator! Sacrificing himself for the safety of the hens.

Even though roosters are beautiful to look at, they are notoriously noisy. Cockerels can crow at any time of the day; it is part of their territorial display. If you have more than one rooster, or there is another in the vicinity, the crowing can increase significantly as the roosters compete against each other.

One other point to consider is that a rooster may cause a hen distress when mating. His spurs and claws will scratch her back, damaging her feathers, whilst his beak can tear the skin on the back of her neck.

It is a fact of life that we all make noise whether we are talking to others, playing music or driving in cars.

Some types of noise, particularly if they occur regularly or at unsocial hours, can however, affect others quality of life. Complaints of nuisance from cockerels crowing are on the increase, particularly where they are being kept in residential built up areas rather than in the more traditional countryside locations. The keeping of cockerels in the urban environment is likely to lead to complaint of nuisance due to the close proximity of neighbours.

Practical advice to minimise crowing.
* Location: it is important to ensure that the cockerel is located as far away as practicable from residential property.
* Competition: where more than one cockerel is kept or others are located in the immediate area, this is likely to lead to cockerels competing with each other. This can increase the amount of crowing considerably.
* Housing: keep cockerels in a coop at night. Keeping birds in a coop can minimise early morning crowing. Coops should be kept as dark as possible as light entering the coop can trigger the onset of crowing. Do not let cockerels out of the darkened coop until a reasonable hour.

THE LAW
If you own a cockerel(s), you must ensure that the crowing does not cause a statutory noise nuisance. In considering whether a statutory nuisance exists, Environmental Health Officers will consider a number of factors including:

* Nature of the area - cockerels have been part of the English countryside for generations and to some extent part of country life and it's charm. This is not to say that nuisance cannot be caused in the country but an odd cockerel crowing in an isolated rural location is less likely to be considered a nuisance when compared to cockerels kept in more built-up residential environments such as towns and villages.
* Time of day - it is more likely that the law will consider nuisance is being caused if your cockerel is crowing at unsocial hours, ie night, early mornings or late evening.
*Duration - it is more likely that the law will consider nuisance is being caused if your cockerel(s) are crowing for long periods. This is more likely with numbers of cockerels because birds compete.

Investigating complaints
If your local council receives a complaint about noise, it is obliged by law to investigate it. This may include:
* Asking the complainant to note down all times that they are being disturbed.
* Officers from Environmental Health undertaking visits to witness the disturbance.
* The use of noise recording equipment.

If the council is satisfied that the noise constitutes a statutory nuisance under the environmental protection act 1990, an abatement notice will be served requiring you to stop the disturbance and if this is not complied with, you could face a maximum fine of £5,000 (domestic premises) or £20,000 (commercial/industrial premises).

Hope this helps !!!!!
 
I live in a very rural area, amongst rural people. Most farmers have long since gone the modern route and don't keep mixed stock any more; it's dairy OR beef OR sheep. So when I got my few hens and Mr Cocky and a couple of geese (or the "vicious swans", as my postman calls them - he's a townie) a lot of people said how they like to hear the cock crow in the morning; reminds them of their childhood. And they REALLY like the gift of a few fresh eggs too.
 
debsandpets said:
Blimey that was an epic write up !!!!!!!!
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Wow - thank you so much for writing that up!!! You are an absolute star for going to all that trouble :).

Well, some very interesting points although some still open to interpretation such as : Rural location. Is this a country village? They seem to think a village is classed as residential. Unsocial hours. I am up at 6 but have been woken before that on many occasions now by the cockerel. What do they class as unsocial? Is it the same as the 'sounding your horn' idea? ;)

Good information for people to have to hand though, so thank you :)
 
Antw23uk said:
Only said half in jest ;) It did make me gasp reading your post though about the dead cockerel not a mark on him though, that's actually sickeningly amusing (not that an animal has died but people actually do it and owners actually post it asking what it could have caused the death!)

Poisoning is a no no, that's just horrid. Its not the birds fault a human has caged them and made them live in a certain place! :(

An ex girlfriend of mine's family had a cockerel and he was put in a cardboard box every night and slept in the kitchen and was then put out at a sensible time to be with his ladies. This was a long time ago though and not sure how long he lasted.

I still say pinch it, kill it, cook it and deny all knowledge :p
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You are a very, very bad person for putting such ideas in my head! Coq au vin anyone ;)?

The poisoning etc is, of course , an absolute no-no but I can actually understand how, if someone was not getting any consideration over a point like this, it may tip them a little towards acting out of (what might be their usual) character.
 
teacups said:
Maybe I've missed it, but has anyone yet suggested that perhaps cockerel owners, particularly of the very loud cockerels or the ones which start up well before the dawn chorus, could just be expected to be a little more considerate towards their neighbours?

What exactly is so hard about shutting your cockerel in at night so that it doesn't start crowing until later, and when it does the noise is muffled.

Not everyone is a good sleeper, and if one of my neighbours got to the stage of having to ask, I'd be mortified.

Around here, yes the crows etc start cawing at 5 a.m., but some cockerels start an hour or two before that, and it makes all the difference to those who do get woken up. Shutting windows is fine in winter, but not in summer. Why be so bullish about it when shutting it in at night is such a small thing to do, and will create so much goodwill?
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From the article in Smallholder mag that debsandpets kindly typed out for me, it seems that complaints are on the rise as some cockerel owners in residential areas are not being as considerate as someone like yourself might be.

During the day I don't mind, actually like, the sound of the cockerel. Before my alarm clock goes off at 6, however, I'm not keen!
 
Cortez said:
I live in a very rural area, amongst rural people. Most farmers have long since gone the modern route and don't keep mixed stock any more; it's dairy OR beef OR sheep. So when I got my few hens and Mr Cocky and a couple of geese (or the "vicious swans", as my postman calls them - he's a townie) a lot of people said how they like to hear the cock crow in the morning; reminds them of their childhood. And they REALLY like the gift of a few fresh eggs too.
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This is probably the problem then - I don't live in a very rural area. It is a country village, yes, but it is still a residential area.
Do you really call him Mr Cocky ;)
 
Mine is called man chicken and he is damn fine!

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Bloomin eck, he's nearly as wide as that trailer behind him! Is that the beast's cage in the background? ;)

Man chicken indeed!
 
That's ok I thought it may be interesting for people to see and read it.

I am at the other end of the issue. I used to have a cockerel in the garden, and a man 5 doors up the road issued a complaint to our council. We are in a village - at one end and opposite a school (and I know which noise I prefer) !! We had already spoken with the neighbour and told him it wasn't a permanent feature just until we managed to sort out safe fox free accommodation in the field - but apparently that wasn't good enough for him and he took it further. In our village we have another 3 cockerels surrounding our property but only ours was complained about which is rather annoying - but hey.
 
I live in a town, and my neighbour got 2 cockerels, they crowed 4/5/6 am every bloomin' morning, on top of having a new born baby, I paid the neighbours back in crashing and banging in the garden, the BBQ was a good drum, then I generally got used to them despite their competing, being right next to my bedroom window, Id either stir when they started and drift back off or not hear them at all,
Was quite sad when they disappeared (very hot summers day, and never saw them again :()

On the other hand, I was given 2 hens to join my hens, and turned out to be a cock, he didn't crow for over a year, then one day he found his voice, and didn't shut up, and he sounded awful!
Last straw was when he started attacking people (natural I know, but dangerous with young children) so he went off to a farm.

Leave the poor man and his cock be *snigger*
 
My cockerel's called Crazy Legs - and we used to have Angry Cockerel and Angry's Son before they got nabbed by the fox.

Sorry, this is now turning into a 'what do you call your cockerel' discussion :)
 
Indy said:
My cockerel's called Crazy Legs - and we used to have Angry Cockerel and Angry's Son before they got nabbed by the fox.

Sorry, this is now turning into a 'what do you call your cockerel' discussion :)
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Mines called Doug cause he loves everyone
 
I second the use of a fan. We moved to the UK from Hawaii. We had ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms of our home in Kailua, because our house was situated in such a way that the lovely trade winds never came through our open windows. Air conditioning was not a choice because it meant sealing closed all the windows and doors...might as well have been living in the city. I got so accustomed to sleeping with a fan that I have one on here in the UK every night, including winter. If there is a power cut, causing the fan to stop, I will wake up. I do miss the morning chorus, but the white noise produced by the fan does help keep me cool and, pretty much, asleep.

I purchased a couple of Australorp hens, or so I thought, late last summer. I did question the size of one of the "hens." Several weeks later, when she started crowing, I realised she is a he, and an enormous boy at that! About 3 weeks ago, I decided to put the two in with my other 4 hens, all small hybrids. All hell broke loose. Gregory (as in Peck) spent all his waking hours raping the girls. It got so bad that the girls didn't want to go out of their house in the morning. So, I've put him in another covered pen. He can see the girls and dream. Peace and quiet have returned to my girls' large enclosure. I'm still getting 5 eggs a day. Luckily, Gregory doesn't crow very often, we are not next to any other residences, and he is a very easy bird to handle.

OP, go for the fan. It will solve your sleeping problems, I promise!
 
Indy said:
My cockerel's called Crazy Legs - and we used to have Angry Cockerel and Angry's Son before they got nabbed by the fox.

Sorry, this is now turning into a 'what do you call your cockerel' discussion :)
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I think that's quite a good competition/discussion. I like the name Russell (Rustle).
 
Lots of people around the village have chickens now - not many have cockerels though. My friend had one (has a small farm) but it was hugely territorial and kept attacking everything and everyone! Was never noisy though. seems they all have different personalities.
 
Update:

It seems that my neighbour originally had 2 cockerels. I had wondered if this was the case as I was sure I could hear 2 different tones. So, I am pretty sure he has removed/rehomed/separated one, and the other is certainly now far less vocal/the sound is muted i.e I am pretty sure it is now being covered at night and there is no competition between them.

I have not been woken up early for the last 3 mornings...and boy, do I feel better for it :). This morning I arranged for someone else to turn our boy out and I slept from 10.30-7.30. What an absolute luxury!!!!

I'm obviously hoping with the earplugs, fan, white noise cd and, seemingly now, consideration from the cockerel owner, that things can now settle down to normal :).

Thank you for this discussion, whether you have been for or against everyone's opinion has been valued and considered. Some of you have been very kind and many of you have made me laugh out loud.

Carry on the 'name that cock(erel) discussion, please ;)
 
Excellent news, pleased you have managed to get a decent nights sleep at long last! Hopefully it shall continue. It is tricky and it does take a while to get used to disruptive noises.
 
Next time you see said neighbour ask if he has rehomed one of the cockerels? then say with a smile 'I would have had him' and give him a wink so he knows you meant 'had' as in EATEN :p
 
I prefer a cockerel to the guinea fowl we have next door to us. Owner doesn't live there so doesn't have to put up with the non stop noise.
 
We had a cockerel when I was a teenager and even that crowing outside thw window wouldn't wake me up, and I could fall asleep listening to Guns n Roses. Mum got me one of those alarm clocks with the loud bell on top and put it on the opposite side of the room so I had to get out of bed to turn it off.
 
I have to say I'm firmly in the "if you live in the countryside put up with country sights, smells and sounds" camp, but I confess I was pretty cheesed off with a rooster crowing at 1am the other week! Dawn is fair game but 1am in March is very definitely the middle of the night!
 
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