The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Clansman on September 24, 2014, 12:36:13 pm
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This should make for an interesting debate! :innocent:
Cockerel collars :
Has anyone tried them?
I can't keep cockerels due to the noise/neighbours but I have now had two cockerels outside for the last two months wearing these collars and it definitely works noise wise.
I saw them a while ago on some American sites but just now got round to trying them.
They still crow but its at the same volume as the hens cackling, its nothing like a full blown Cockadoodledoo!
For anyone that doesn't know about them its just a velcro collar that attaches around the lower half of the neck, its fitted snugly, its not tight or constricting, one of mine tried to back out of it for a bit but the other one didn't bother with it at all.
It works by restricting the amount of air that can be expelled when they crow, it allows them to eat and breath as normal, the only difference is when they crow.
They still make all the other noises cockerels make as normal.
Now I have tried this and it definitely works, my concern now is that it within the UK it may not be legal and possibly regarded as cruel.
It may be against the Welfare guidelines where it states the birds should have freedom to exhibit natural behaviour.
As I said, they do still actually crow, its just not very loud, whether this is a removal of natural behaviour or not remains to be seen.
Its fine in most other countries but I've been asking around the various agencies over here and no one knows, most have never heard of them so still waiting to hear back.
Its a velcro collar so it will undo if it gets caught in something, similar to collars for cats so thats not an issue.
Have a look at this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34eFiQ1p-hw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34eFiQ1p-hw)
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hmm, not sure although I don't have sound on my PC right now. I don't think its cruel as they can still display the behaviour-actually think its better than some of the anti-bark collars you can get for dogs.
Dont tell my other half, I currently have 5 cockerels in the back garden and planning on keeping three back there over the winter :D
who are you going to ask? I would avoid the RSPCA/SSPCA personally and try and find a high ranking poultry vet first.
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I've sent emails off to RSPCA, DEFRA and the council animal health dept, so far it looks like none of them know what i'm talking about. :innocent:
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lol-what exactly did you put in the subject heading of the email? ;D
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Yeah i've already been there!!
Cockerel crowing collars I used eventually
You need to be VERY careful Googling these!! :innocent:
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I like that, seems to work and doesnt appear to trouble the bird.
I would probably put it on (the cockerel) late at night and take it off during the day.
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I can't take it off through they day here, i have neighbours either side and at the back, some with young children, a cockerel would be just too loud for me
I did ask everyone once if I could trial it for a week but it echoes around the building and sounds even worse than normal!
We came to unanimous decision that it was not a good idea! ;D
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Here's a link to the No Crow collar that was patented in the USA
http://nocrowroostercollars.com (http://nocrowroostercollars.com)
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Oh lord I did giggle a bit - the clip on the above website when the poor cockerel tries to crow.
http://nocrowroostercollars.com/pages/faqs (http://nocrowroostercollars.com/pages/faqs)
Seems a bit mean.
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It's a good idea. Not sure how much of a mess it makes of neck feathers. Can't see it being at all practical during the moult though. But what's the point of having a cockerel if it can't crow?
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But what's the point of having a cockerel if it can't crow?
You need a cockerel to breed chickens ;D
The feather thing was something that concerned me, but once its actually fitted it works very well, all the feathers inside the top edge of the collar are just held flat by the collar, the feathers above the top edge hang naturally over the top of it.
The two birds I have just now are just finishing a moult and the neck feathers are growing in just now and it doesn't appear to cause them any problem, every time I check everything looks normal.
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Finally got round to taking a video of one of my Scots Grey cockerels!
I have four of them in breeding pens just now and this is the loudest of the four, two of them are almost silent.
The noise this one makes wearing the collar sets the turkeys off though, which is worse than the cockerel crowing! :)
Hard to tell from the video but he's a lot quieter than either the turkeys or the male quail
No Crow Collar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIVWiQD4EPY)
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Dont tell my other half, I currently have 5 cockerels in the back garden and planning on keeping three back there over the winter :D
You could buy an extra collar then you won't hear your OH complaining about your cockerels!!
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I have four atm, one of which I must dispatch this week. Typically though, its the smallest one that makes to most noise so I am tempted by these. Once I get home, I'll have a look at them in action.
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I bought a length of sticky backed velcro, it comes in two parts, the velcro strip and the fluffy strip it sticks to.
I peeled the backing off both strips and stuck them back to back.
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is it elasticated? how snug should it be?
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Nope its not elasticated, its quite rigid although reasonably flexible.
You'll really struggle to put it on too tightly but it is quite a nerve wracking thing to do for the first time ;D
i've never had a bird show any sign of breathing distress when fitting them, even though it feels quite tight sometimes they will sit down for a while feeling sorry for themselves till they get used to it but usually they start jumping about like a mad thing.
Put one hand around its neck and lift all the cape feathers up then attach the collar as close to the base of the neck as you can, its probably easier with two people.
Make it as snug as you can, obviously without choking the bird :)
i can get my pinky under mine but can't get it past the first joint and it shouldn't be able to move easily up and down the neck.
Make sure the overlap on the outside is at the back or they can take it off! :innocent:
When you fit it put the bird in a pen where it can't hurt itself on anything.
they do try and back out of it for a while until they get used to it and can flap and jump a lot which is quite alarming the first time you see it!
I've put them on a bird before and 5 minutes later its as if nothing has happened but I've also had some still trying to do the backing out thing the day after it was fitted.
If it crows and its still quite loud, tighten it slightly more until you get it to the right place.
Here's a video of someone who has just fitted a collar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Sq77UBdJc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Sq77UBdJc)
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I know this is an old thread but |I would just like to say, I make the cockerel collars. Have sold over 2500 so far and I struggle to keep up wth the demand sometimes.As a traditional working Saddler I have varied jobs and things to make, some of which would make your toes curl but I make far more cockerel collars than anything else!
I sell them via my website and through ebay user name is bidsbuster on there. Yes a few people who dont read the instructions or follow them have had problems with them but on the whole there is a good success rate and it doesn't stop the cockerel from crowing, just acts like a volume control.
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this is a brilliant solution for those with sensitive neighbours! never heard of it before, I guess I dont need it due to my rural setting but I would def do this if I ever moved to a more urban setting!
Thanks for sharing :)
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Hi,
I too have used these collars, with great success, my boys, were a bit dodgy at first, backing up, sitting down and not moving, until they got used to it after a few hours, but then, they were up and about, just like normal, but without the racket!! lol
Since I have moved, I have no neighbours now, so took them off, but I would use them again, without hesitation!
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Just an update, I have sold over 6500 of these collars now, all round the world, loads go to Italy for some reason. I also supply a letter for the buyer to use to help them support their claim/defence in a court case or dispute with neighbours and/or councils. The collars are successful, some failures but not many. If you have a noisy cockerel who's upsetting the neighbours do consider one before you get rid of the bird, there's plenty on sale on the net all round the the world.