to be about to complain to the Council's noise squad about my neighbour's cockerel

[Cocodrillo]

I live in a London terrace, and every morning at dawn a COCKEREL, of all things, starts crowing and waking up the kids.

Why do people have a cockerel anyway? It's not like they lay eggs.

And this is not a rural idyll, it is effing London.

I'm tempted to track it down and make it into a pie.

yanbu to make a complaint! a cockerel would drive me mad.

where in london are you?

S London. DH heard it at 4.20 this morning.

How aggravating!

Our neighbours used to have a swarm herd gaggle of geese. They were incredibly noisy and I used to fantasize about chips cooked in goose fat.

OP do you live in SE 21?

YANBU in a city.

If you had moved out to the country, right next to a farm or smallholding, that would be different.

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/apr/16/ukcrime

That's around here and we are rural-get in touch with the council-there is no need to have a cockerel like you said.

A friend of my mum's said that you had to have a cockerel, because "fertilised eggs taste better".
Think about that one for a minute.
I've stuck with girl hens.

YANBU - a friend of mine works for environmental health in a big city and told me they get a number of complaints every year about cockerals. They normally try to persuade owners to rehabilitate them to the countryside.

Don't make it into a pie, they roast beautifully.

Can you persuade the owners to keep him in his pen until a reasonable hour (they often won't crow inside).

YANBU cockrels are noisy!! I have one.. but I am in the country and he's about 1/2 acre away from any houses.. and he's still noisy!

There is no need for a cock, unless your breeding.

You might have a chat with neighbour and ask them to make sure that he is put away at night and not let out until a decent time in the morning.. and also to put a bar limiting head height over his perch ( if he can't put his head back.. he can't crow!)

But even then he will crow through the day anyway.
In your situation.. best place for him is the dinner table!

DS1 had a cockerel next door to his student house in an inner city. He didn't complain as the noise of the cockerel was probably as nothing compared with the noise made by six students. Then the cockerel was heard no more - was it lunch or had a strange ritual taken place ...?

I live in Crouch End and used to be just down the road from a very noisy cockeral! How funny.

You do get used to it - I never thought I woudl when we first moved to the house, but it only took a few months. It never occurred to me to complain tbh.

Funnily enough our neighbour's one went silent last year and hasn't been heard of since. A fox? Old age? Or a well-aimed air rifle from a neighbour's bedroom window? Hmmmm....

Some people who keep hens have a cockeral to look after the hens I think you all will get used to it though.

DH called the council noisee squad, but as soon as they called back to witness the horrible cock went silent.

Maybe I'll buy a pack of foxes. That'll improve the situation.

wishfort, are you?

To have a noisy cockerel in an urban area is totally unneighbourly and selfish. There's no way you should have to 'get used to it'. Sleep is very important! Could you send the neighbour a little note? Friendly at first......pay them a compliment about something or other, always works.....then if they still refuse to do anything send them a stronger letter..... or go and speak to them if you're brave enough... !

YANBU since you live in a city, and in a terrace too (suggesting the gardens are quite close together?). I'd talk to other neighbours and if a few of you have a problem with it then approach the cockerel owners directly but nicely. Resort to council only if they won't understand and offer solutions. You do have to all live together after all.

BTW I am a cockerel owner but I have no neighbours (and I have triple glazing ).

I know the area, and hear from friends that there are a few round there, though it's a big place, to be fair.