[Slavo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12689800

Just thought I'd spark a debate...

Unfortunately the news story does not describe the area other than rural. It would be nice to see if it was in a street of houses or simply neighbouring farmhouses.

Thoughts?

[plumseverywhere]

Would be interesting to know how close by the other houses were but I am assuming (as a newbie cockerel owner) that 5 cockerels would compete against each other so more likely to be distruptive than a lone cockerel (*OK I'll be honest I'm now panicking that my one cockerel could annoy our close by, non farming neighbours!!)

the crows before 3am sound annoying!!

[Hilarysmum]

One of ours crows about 5 am.  I am seriously looking at him as Sunday roast.

[Roxy]

Well, I have had a serious head count of cockerels ......some of the later born ones last year have turned into cockerels this week.  Am gutted, as one is a lovely colour and I really hoped it was a pullet.

The total, including bantams is ...... 11.  And yes, they crow around 5am, even though I make sure some of them cannot see any light ... they can obviously hear the others though.  They are pretty close to three houses (although two of them are recent barn conversions, so we were there first!!)

Need to halve the numbers at least, but some are my breeding boys.

[Helencus]

I had 3 last year and they started around 3:30 am and called to each other all day. I didn't get complaints directly but indirectly. I had to put myself in my neighbours shoes so gave Kelloggs to womble and had to cull the other who was a x bred. Angus my very large light Sussex is now hardly heard and my neighbours have nothing to complain about for a while. You have to see it from their side I wouldn't and didn't like being woken in the early hours by noisy cockerels.

[plumseverywhere]

before coco arrived here we did say to our nearest neighbours that we planned to have a cockerel but wanted to check with them first. they all said they'd love the sound of the country side. have checked since he arrived and elderly lady next door said "he's a pleasure to hear" but I've stressed to her that if he gets annoying to tell me as the layout of our house could mean we don't always hear him first thing.
another neighbour said that he sounds like he could do with cough mixture as he's so deep in his crow but that he's no bother...fingers crossed it stays this way!

[Sylvia]

Don't these  complainers realise, no cockerels, no chickens, no eggs, no roast dinners!

[Anke]

When we lived in Edinburgh we were on the main ambulance route, and although they didn't use their siren until they hit the main road, the blue flashing lights were just as bad, and the main road was 50 ms away...

So it all depends where you live, countryside is not quiet! Here its the pheasants that are shrieking at 3am in the hedge.... Can't hear my cockerel.

[plumseverywhere]

So it all depends where you live, countryside is not quiet! Here its the pheasants that are shrieking at 3am in the hedge.... Can't hear my cockerel.

that is so true!! and to be fair,it tends to be a barking dog, tractor, car beeping its horn as it takes the bend etc that triggers our cockerel into crowing in the first place.
i remember neighbours at our old house (a teeny hamlet with a few houses and a dairy farm) complaining about the occasional tractor noise (!) in autumn when they were harvesting. honestly, why do some people live int he country and then complain about country noises? you'd understand complaints about loud music at 3am or gangs of kids revving cars all night but...?!

[doganjo]

I had 3 last year and they started around 3:30 am and called to each other all day. I didn't get complaints directly but indirectly. I had to put myself in my neighbours shoes so gave Kelloggs to womble and had to cull the other who was a x bred. Angus my very large light Sussex is now hardly heard and my neighbours have nothing to complain about for a while. You have to see it from their side I wouldn't and didn't like being woken in the early hours by noisy cockerels.

You should try coal trains thundering through at all hours.  Suddenly started 2 years ago and we can't stop them apparently.

[Womble]

I had to put myself in my neighbours shoes so gave Kelloggs to womble and had to cull the other who was a x bred.

And I'm very glad you did, as Kellogg became a Dad this week. One of our hens went broody in early Feb, so we now have two little peeps running around (one Wellie and one Heinz 57, but both really cute). We're so proud! 

[Roxy]

Has anyone ever complained that they want the dawn chorus stopping ....living in the country we get an ear splitting wake up call about 3.30am in the summer - and the gangs of crows making their racket .....not to mention the canadian geese on the canal up the lane

Where my caravan is, I hear the farmers cockerel early am, plus his farm dogs when he gets up to see to his cows, and the noise as the quarry wagons rumble up the road - but like anything, you get used to it in time, and hardly notice it.

[Slavo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12697210

It appears the plot thickens... The recordings taken, were taken in a spare room (I wonder if this room just happened to be on the same side of the property facing the cockerel's location?). Also, the window is heard to be opened once the cockerel's started crowing...

Surely, if you did not want to hear the noise, you'd want to make sure the window was shut!?!

This sounds a bit like the 'neighbour up to old tricks' thread... 

Sounds like they're really piling it on! "I drive school children"

[plumseverywhere]

Funny you should say that Slavo, I was giving this story some thought this morning while we walked to school (as you do, lol!) anyway, I was thinking...if you wanted to make cockerels crow and cause problems it would be possible. eg. leaving bright outdoor lights on, banging windows etc...indeed, perhaps the plot is thickening...

[chriso]

On the legal side, how could anyone prove a cockerel belongs to you? My hens just live in a hen house I own.