Oh dear my first foray into cockerel keeping has not ended well....

[saltyseadog]

Ringo, my lovely dark brahma boy, has had to be re-homed. We live in a village, and one of our neighbours doesn't appreciate Ringo's new found voice at 0500h each morning (which is fair enough!).

He leaves us on Thursday night to go to another home, slightly further removed from the centre of the village . Fortunately the couple who are re-homing me have a LOT of chooks, including a sub-flock of dark brahmas, so he is going to a lovely home :).

aww you poor thing

but surely you coop your chooks and cock overnight

so they dont crow till a reasonable time

Yep - he is shut in every night. But apparently he still wakes them .

Thanks for the sympathy. I hatched him (well I personally didn't, Doris, one of my hens did), so I am rather attached to him! At least he's not moving too far, and his new owners are lovely, real chicken addicts.

A way of stopping him crowing is to put something in the coop that stops him lifting his head to crow. Someone I know has done that successfully although I'm not sure of the exact details.

I'll have a google MollieO - thanks. I do heart him, and feel quite cross with my neighbours (yes, I know IABU :o)

I found this which mentions lowering the ceiling.

Thanks MollieO. Eek at the £5K fine!

It's probably some rural part of Essex now populated by moanng townies!

drives me mad when people live in a village but can't cope with the noises of the coutrnyside.

Me too nickelbabe. It is a crowing shame.

I got given a Rhode Island Red cockerel of 9 months about 3 months ago and he is very hot blooded and attacking the alpha female of my two ex bat warrens, who are lovely and crows all the time at the slightest sound and the hens run away from him too as all he wants to do is copulate - he is one - his head, whattle and comb are always hot - and to cool him off I have him in a cool room in the bathroom - which he loves. One of my hens is going bald from all the running way, the hens are very lovely girls - what should I do - everyone loves him and he is in perfect condition now - last night I left him in the hen house on his own and brought the hens in, and put them in their night box, and they were very happy this morning - tonight he is going to stay in the night box and the hens are going into the hen house with meadow hay - any suggestions, will he calm down - I dont want to give up as he is beautiful and loves a cuddle and a hug and talks to me when we are alone - any advice would be appreciated. many thanks.