I want to keep my barred rock rooster for breeding.. But he is to loud to keep.. is there some how to stop him from crowing .. Which I think is impossible.. but it would be nice. 
how to shut a rooster up
- Thread starter Mary Ann's Rabbitry
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HowlsOfAngels
Well-known member
The only way I know how is an ax and a stump. Sorry... the degree of obnoxious crowing a roo partakes in is up to the rooster. If you want a roo for breeding maybe let some of his young grow up and see if they'll choose to be quieter.
I am trying not to do that.. I had him in my arms and I was looking for the axe.. He was so quite and calm and just let me do what ever.. I didn't have the heart to do it.. so I left him go.. Still didn't find that axe.. I was reading on line that a high pitch sound ,, apparently that might help.. it is a sound that we cant hear..
dayna
Well-known member
I have a silkie rooster that sounds like a kazoo. Not loud at all. Maybe go for a smaller sized rooster?
Demamma
Well-known member
:chicken: :stirpot: :chicken:
I really need him for breeding...so last night I closed my big door on the barn.. As at this time of year I normally don't.. It has helped some.. I am going to leave everyone one there longer in the morning. Once he is outside at half decent time.. I really don't care about his crowing.. Just he dosnt shut up in the morning..
Is he your only rooster?
We have over a dozen and they hardly crow at all. My theory is the lower ranking roosters know who the boss if the yard is so they don't challenge him and be is confident enough that he doesn't need to crow.
We have over a dozen and they hardly crow at all. My theory is the lower ranking roosters know who the boss if the yard is so they don't challenge him and be is confident enough that he doesn't need to crow.
I have a friend that is coming tomorrow morning and pick him up.. I do have two others.. but a different breed.. He is just to loud.. So I am going to go with one of the others and see how that goes..
skysthelimit
Well-known member
I had to axe mine as well. I sued to close him up in a dog kennel so he would not crow first thing in the morning, but hen that just became to much. As much time as I've spent out sheep herding, I can't recall hearing those ones so much. maybe just his personality.
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
My grandmother told me of a neighbor's roo that would sit under her bedroom window every morning and crow-- one morning, she reached out and grabbed it by the throat-- squeezing over the vocal cords-- neighbors wondered why the roo was no longer crowing, and Grandma got to sleep past 4 a.m. This was back in the day when even city dwellers had poultry in their back yards...
You are just lucky. There are tons of stories on the chicken forum of roosters who get in competitions and every day crow earlier and louder until something is done to get rid of the competition. One person said theirs even tried to get higher than each other until they were sitting on the roof of the house to crow.
Flemishstar
Well-known member
Akane is right on the competition thing, I have a rooster 3 months out of the year (for breeding purposes) and I go through about 4 before I find the right one....I have some that crow CONSTANTLY and start at 3 am....I was so blood shot eyed one time cause I had one that wouldnt stop...AT 4 am...he met his fate, I literally grabbed him on the roost by his neck HAHAHAH, But then I find ones that only crow in the AM a few times, and maybe once or twicw in the day...its so wierd how it differs
stone soup farm
Well-known member
I had one that would crow really early and sometimes into the night. Blocked all light for him to see until I wanted him to be out in the morning. No more night crowing or early dawn crowing. He had other issue so is no longer with us, but it wasn't his crowing...he was a mean bugger.
There is a surgery to cut the vocal cords. It costs around $180 per rooster.
http://quietroosters.wordpress.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... hoSV-MGUnc
http://quietroosters.wordpress.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... hoSV-MGUnc
I've herd mention that older roos tend to be quieter than young ones. I haven't owned enough to see for myself though, cause we live in town.
Schipperkesue
Well-known member
Here is a bit if info from a lady who has created a "no-crow" collar.
Hey Guys! I thought I would introduce myself. I am Lauren Taylor and I am the person who came up with and makes the No Crow Rooster Collars (patent pending.) I would like to make myself available to answer all of your questions. This is a hot topic and it is easily misunderstood. With anything communication is key. So, why don't I start by telling you why I made this and how it works.
I have a small flock of completely spoiled, beautiful, pet chickens in an area that does not really allow chickens (I say not really because there is a little known state law here called the Michigan Right to Farm Act that supercedes the local ordinances but, the city still will fine first and ask questions later.) I am so in love with my birds and wanted a rooster for a number of good reasons- among them: protecting my free range flock, fertilizing eggs, and general enjoyment of all of their rooster qualities and behaviors ( and, yes, I DO like the crowing.) I did a lot of research before getting my first rooster and found all sorts of terrible ideas and contraptions designed to quiet them. I did learn however, that in order to crow loudly roosters need to totally fill up with air and project it out to get the big sound out. So, I thought and thought and thought and thought then finally came up with this. It is velcro and fabric and fully adjusts to fit the rooster perfectly. I suggest they be worn with a little finger's width of space between the collar and the neck. It is wide enough and close enough fitting that the likelihood of it getting caught is minimal and also- it is velcro so it should work similarly to dog collars that release.
So for the questions and comments posted already:
Roosters need to be able to make noise to communicate / it would be frustrating to the rooster not to be able to crow- They can make every noise that roosters make while wearing the collar including crowing but the volume is limited. My rooster does not seem at all frustrated after he "crows". He seems to think that he has done what he needed to do. I spend a lot of time with him and I do notice that he still makes all of the appropriate noises at the appropriate times. We have the coop right by our bedroom and sleep with our french doors open so when he crows in the morning I can hear it but it is quiet enough now that it is no bother at all and he sure does seem to enjoy it! Some people who have tried it report that their roosters don't even try to crow anymore. Some say they crow quietly and half as often. The results really do depend on the rooster.
It interferes with their crop/eating and drinking/ it strangles them - It doesn't. The width of the collar does not extend to the crop so that is not an issue. Also, the collar is made to bend and flex with the rooster's neck so he can do everything he always does. Mine eats, drinks, dust bathes, roosts, makes sweet love..... ha....... everything as he normally would. It isn't tight enough to bother him and it allows his neck total freedom and flexibility to expand, etc. it just puts a stop to the expansion when he tries to get the force of his full air sac compacity behind a big crow.
It will irritate his neck/ the feathers stick out/ good place for lice and mites - I always place it over the feathers and over the course of the day with him doing all of his normal activities some of the feathers come free. It is especially exaggerated in the picture of my rooster because he is frizzled and his feathers naturally fluff and curl forward. His neck is never irritated because he does always have some feathers under the collar and the collar is worn with the fuzzy/soft side of the velcro in. As for lice and mites- a good chicken owner is vigilant in treating those pests. I have not had an outbreak. I do keep a close eye on all of them and put DE in the coop and dust my hens and rooster regularly. I would think that dusting the inside of the collar with poultry dust or DE would make it really inhospitable for pests of all kinds.
If I missed any questions please ask again. Also, you can find me on Facebook or email me. [email protected]
:yeahthat: I thought I had read somewhere in the vastness of the internet that you could take the vocal cords out. No clue how well it works. If you do it or find out how well it works let me know. I'd love to have a rooster but live in neighborhood where folks don't look too kindly on being woken up when they could be sleeping. Plus I'm already over my chicken limit imposed on me by the city.
They do quiet dow as they get older but a rooster will crow at least morning and evening. Now if you can't have him doing that too early or late but, it's fine in the middle of the day, cage him in the evening, cover the cage so that no light gets in and, leave him there until it's okay for him to crow. He'll stay quiet as long as it's dark.
