I don't have a rooster at this time, partly because my boy Barry was getting too aggressive with me. He might have been less aggressive with me if I had hatched him out myself. Perhaps then we would have bonded. But I got him and seven other babies when they were just 3 weeks old. I don't think they were handled much before us.
However, the noise was the biggest factor for us. We live in a rural area so roosters are allowed, and I do love the sound of a rooster crowing, just not at my bedroom window at 4:00 am! We thought he was a she until he started developing a much bigger comb then his sister. Then one morning I heard the craziest noise coming from the coop. It sort of sounded like a mix between a prepubescent human boy trying to crow like a rooster, and a chicken with his nuts caught in a trap. Okay, I know they don't have nuts hanging, but the sound wasn't pleasant either way. It was kind of funny to hear -once I knew what he was trying to do. It took him quite some time to perfect his crow. He was successfully mating with my older hen and fertilizing her eggs long before he got that crowing thing down.
Then it became a problem. He would crow just before the sun came up, then right after it came up, then when he was trying to woo the girls in hopes of mating, then after each mating session, then...you get the idea. We would be awakened by his crowing at 4:00am and hear him crow at least another 20 times before 6:30 am, which is when we gave up all hope of sleeping through it and just got out of bed.
Unfortunately Barry had to go.
Today while I was reading the current issue of Backyard Poultry Magazine I discovered a product that might have helped us. It's called the 'No Crow Rooster Collar'. Have you heard about this product? I am not sure how long they have been around but I think it is a neat idea. The theory behind this product is that you prevent the rooster from crowing by reducing the amount of air he can build up in his throat to make the crowing sound. This collar doesn't obstruct his normal breathing airway, or inhibit him from eating or drinking normally, it only prevents the throat from expanding to hold a pocket of air needed to make the crow sound.
I found this video on YouTube showing how it works. The rooster's crow sounds kind of like a tracheotomy cough, but it's much quieter than a normal crow sound I guess. Also, as you will see in the video, it does NOT inhibit him from performing his masculine duties! The guy who made this video, made his own collar using an extra wide Velcro strip. The official 'No Crow Rooster Collar' is prettier and they have already worked out the fitment issues, (and actual users tell me there is a big difference) but if you didn't want to spend the $14 for a official one from the NCRC company, you could try to make your own I guess.
[Author's note: I don't mean to sound insensitive to people who have a tracheotomy, it is just that I have worked in the nursing field, so when I heard the crow in these videos, that is the sound that it reminded me of. Also, I have been informed by one of my readers who uses the official No Crow Collar that the sound is actually a muted crow sound.]
Here's another video of a different rooster wearing the official 'No Crow Rooster Collar'.
Do you have roosters? Is their crowing a problem at your house? Have you tried this collar or some other device or method to stop crowing, or at least quiet the crowing noise? I would love to hear you thoughts. Maybe once we get the new coop built away from our bedroom I might get another rooster. I haven't decided about that yet, but knowing that such a product is available if the noise became a problem, kind of makes the thought of another rooster to fertilize my eggs a little tempting.
*This was an unpaid, unsolicited post merely 'mentioning' a product that I have not tried, I am just curious what my readers thoughts are about this or similar products . There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see my Full Disclosure here.
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However, the noise was the biggest factor for us. We live in a rural area so roosters are allowed, and I do love the sound of a rooster crowing, just not at my bedroom window at 4:00 am! We thought he was a she until he started developing a much bigger comb then his sister. Then one morning I heard the craziest noise coming from the coop. It sort of sounded like a mix between a prepubescent human boy trying to crow like a rooster, and a chicken with his nuts caught in a trap. Okay, I know they don't have nuts hanging, but the sound wasn't pleasant either way. It was kind of funny to hear -once I knew what he was trying to do. It took him quite some time to perfect his crow. He was successfully mating with my older hen and fertilizing her eggs long before he got that crowing thing down.
Then it became a problem. He would crow just before the sun came up, then right after it came up, then when he was trying to woo the girls in hopes of mating, then after each mating session, then...you get the idea. We would be awakened by his crowing at 4:00am and hear him crow at least another 20 times before 6:30 am, which is when we gave up all hope of sleeping through it and just got out of bed.
Unfortunately Barry had to go.
Today while I was reading the current issue of Backyard Poultry Magazine I discovered a product that might have helped us. It's called the 'No Crow Rooster Collar'. Have you heard about this product? I am not sure how long they have been around but I think it is a neat idea. The theory behind this product is that you prevent the rooster from crowing by reducing the amount of air he can build up in his throat to make the crowing sound. This collar doesn't obstruct his normal breathing airway, or inhibit him from eating or drinking normally, it only prevents the throat from expanding to hold a pocket of air needed to make the crow sound.
I found this video on YouTube showing how it works. The rooster's crow sounds kind of like a tracheotomy cough, but it's much quieter than a normal crow sound I guess. Also, as you will see in the video, it does NOT inhibit him from performing his masculine duties! The guy who made this video, made his own collar using an extra wide Velcro strip. The official 'No Crow Rooster Collar' is prettier and they have already worked out the fitment issues, (and actual users tell me there is a big difference) but if you didn't want to spend the $14 for a official one from the NCRC company, you could try to make your own I guess.
[Author's note: I don't mean to sound insensitive to people who have a tracheotomy, it is just that I have worked in the nursing field, so when I heard the crow in these videos, that is the sound that it reminded me of. Also, I have been informed by one of my readers who uses the official No Crow Collar that the sound is actually a muted crow sound.]
Here's another video of a different rooster wearing the official 'No Crow Rooster Collar'.
Do you have roosters? Is their crowing a problem at your house? Have you tried this collar or some other device or method to stop crowing, or at least quiet the crowing noise? I would love to hear you thoughts. Maybe once we get the new coop built away from our bedroom I might get another rooster. I haven't decided about that yet, but knowing that such a product is available if the noise became a problem, kind of makes the thought of another rooster to fertilize my eggs a little tempting.
*This was an unpaid, unsolicited post merely 'mentioning' a product that I have not tried, I am just curious what my readers thoughts are about this or similar products . There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see my Full Disclosure here.
Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!
Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!
This post shared in the Clever Chicks Blog Hop.
This post shared in the Clever Chicks Blog Hop.
