Any advice please - neighbour's cockerel driving me up the wall

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

I am utterly ignorant about chickens and could really do with some pointers. Really hope I don't drop a clanger like I did in the doghouse 4 years ago and have never really recovered

We live in a rural area, in a small row of local authority housing. Neighbours have chickens (fresh eggs - lovely) and a cockerel that announces his presence from dawn til dusk. It's keeping us all up (2 DCs under 3).

As it's a rural area do I just need to suck it up? We have cows, horses and sheep in neighbouring fields and lots of tractors trundling up and down the road, so lots of noise every day, but it's the incessant repetitiveness that is driving me round the bend.

Any advice please?

[SweetTransvestite]

If the cockerel resides in a housing association garden, you could complain to them re noise disturbance, same as you would a barking dog I would imagine?

[outtolunchagain]

We have hens but no cockerel , you don't need a cockerel to have eggs only to have chicks IYSWIM. I wouldn't have one precisely because it is unfair on the neighbours . Have you spoken to the neighbours , it must annoy them too. If you are in housing association housing I would approach them , I would point out that you have no problem with the hens just the cockerel.

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I'll talk to my other neighbours to see what they think, then approach the owner (a little bit scared of her tbh, but will bite the bullet). Thanks again

[mummymeister]

ex environmental health officer here. sweet is right. noise from a cockerel can be a statutory nuisance in the same way that noise from a dog, a disco or whatever can be. have dealt with noisy cockerels in the past. the only way to stop them crowing is to restrict them being able to stretch their necks. at night they have to be put into either a crate, cage or animal carrier to stop them doing this. Something that doesnt restrict their head height ie just touching or just above the comb. Have served notices and made owners do this but it is a real faff and all of them did it for a couple of months before moving the cockerel on. no you dont have to suck it up but speak to your env health dept and see how sympathetic they are. speak to your neighbour. why do they have a cockerel? are they intending to breed? can they move him further away from your house. would they put him in a carrying case at night? all worth a try but you will have to sit down with them and talk about it.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Moving the cockerel on! To the next life I presume.....

[mummymeister]

not necessarily exit :-) but tbh boys are only good for breeding!

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Thank you mummy for the advice, really useful.

[mistlethrush]

Just shutting them up in a house would help because if they're in an enclosed house the noise won't be able to get out as easily (speaking from having had a cockerel as a pet with some hens in the past)

[PeneloPeePitstop]

Shoot it?

[WhatKindofFool]

Eat it?

[SimLondon]

Ask neighbour to move it further away?

[evansthebread]

I had this problem with an ex-neighbour. Made worse by us working shifts (though even a normal 9-5 household would probably grudge being woken at 4am - and being kept awake). The lack of sleep made us both ill.

I had no luck with EH and gave up after my initial complaint. However, another neighbour (I assume) complained and ex-neighbour eventually moved them all on. The place was a huge mess with him, stunk to high heaven, rats visiting nightly (and in the day sometimes - and I believe it's rare to actually see a rat in the day). The birds probably had less room than caged hens and the ducks had no where to have a splash. He made a fortune selling his "free range" eggs around the village. If only people had seen the conditions his birds were kept in!

I hope you get some peace. I love hens but if I had my way would ban cockerels from residential areas, rural or not.

[josie670]

In a rural area personally I think you should just get over it, residential I would understand a bit more but all animals deserve a place.

[BishopBrennansArse]

.

[josie670]

I've got to... Kick Bishop Brennan up the arse!

[Snappymcsnappy]

I think you are being quite unfair actually.

It is a rural area...
if it was residential I would agree, but noisy farm animals rather go with the territory in a rural area?

Cockerels go pretty much all day, did you not hear it when viewing the house??
And if so, why did you then agree to the house?

[BishopBrennansArse]

.

[Acumen1]

In my opinion you should have to have a licence to own a cockerel, they have little use apart from making neighbours life’s a misery, we have 2 across he road from us, when we bought the house they didn’t make a noise on the viewing days and now there scrawking all day,
It’s unfortunate that there are such ignorant people around, that own cockerels, and those that say they should be allowed to do their thing, do not have to put up with the noise pollution they cause.

[carolg46]

my next door neighbour keeps chickens that dose not bother me but she has a cockerel which is constantly crowing all day from dawn it starts she has already been told on two occasions to get rid of the cockerel which she done then brought another one months ago. Not sure if its ok to keep them in a residential area, i have also been getting mice coming through our fence

[Ollies19]

Moved into house three months ago no sign of any cockerel till few weeks ago next door waking me up 4.22am. Spoke to owner she said it's part of living incountryside. We are in middle of village. It's shed is 20 feet from side of my house it crows every 15 seconds from daylight till she lets it out then on and off all day. Sent get a letter which she ignored so have had to report to council and am having to make notes of it ! For 3 weeks. Think will go mad before then how can anyone be so inconsiderate. The repetitive noise is really annoying.

[Ollies19]

Hi have you had any luck with sorting this. I am at wits end and it's ruining my enjoyment of new house and garden.

[maran27]

Offer to purchase the cockerel, its good braised in red wine.

[carolg46]

i have complained to the council as this is the third time they have brought a cockerel its a waste of time if i had a dog barking constantly i bet i would be told to get rid of the dog.its very irritating all day ,now the summer will be here soon i do like to sit out side and read but that constantly crowing will drive me mad . i look forward to the warm weather as i have health problems which means i cant even go out for a walk let alone walk to a bus stop.

[Ollies19]

Well today is bank holiday lovely sunny day. Had to come in from my patio 17.30,pm due to cockerel next door next to my fence crowing loudly every 20 seconds because the owners are sat in their garden 50 ft away enjoying the sunshine while it crows away upset because it's guarding it's hens. Never prayedso hard for a fox to visit....how can anyone be so arrogant and inconsiderate?

[nsmith1971]

We have had two crowing cockerels iver a year now. Neighbours complain but do nothing. We are in a residential area and woken up at 2.50am onwards and then crows throughout the day. I do not want to approach man in question as do not want an argument from him wife.
I contacted council ladt year who said do 3 week report as I work this is difficult so I gave up a no other offers from complaining neighbours. Crowing continues and moaning neighbours who expect me to complain to council and carry it through.
I think as not we not born and breed around the area and lived here 14 yrs. It can be a cliky place and noone wants to challenge cockerel man.
So if I want a good sleep looks like I will have to try do reports myself. Have recirded crowing on phone so will send that and see what happens. I do not wish any harm on the cockerels but not the place for them and enough is enough.