dame egna Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 As in - are they really so loud that they will actually wake my neighbours up at ridiculous times in the morning?! And, do they doodle do all day long, i.e are they noisy all the time? Will we actually be eating fertilised eggs? Will he be aggressive towards us? I am still contemplating having a silkie chick along with my cream legbars this weekend, but I just don't know what to do it the silkie turns out to be a he, and not a she I would LOVE a cockerel, but I also don't want to upset my neighbours. Is there anything to look out for in a day old chick that might give even just a slight indication of the sex? Or am I just hoping lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 They can be really loud, but you can limit the noise by making it dark with little head room. They had a cockerel 3 doors down from us and tbh I didn't know they had a cockerel or chickens until one of their chickens adopted me . The neighbours next to them didn't like the noise, so they re-homed him. They do "doodle doo" all day As for aggressiveness, I've know loads of cockerels, and the smaller ones tend to be the most aggressive, as in one (Belgian Quail bantam/Barbu d'Anver) used to run at you, jump and scratch all down your legs and stamp on your feet. Little man syndrome The big cockerels (mainly brahmas) used to run around after you not being aggressive, but playing! They'd let you pick them up and were great with kids. The silkies weren't particularly tame or aggressive (although oneblack cockerel was) but they weren't free-range, they were kept in a WIR so didn't get my contact with people, I don't remember them being loud. Not really anything to look out for to sex chicks (unless they're autosexing ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Some people in a rural area close by have at least one but maybe more cockerals. I've heard it when I've been out running - 3 miles away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I would absolutely not want to live next door in an urban situation.Ax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Whenever I've been on holiday in Greece, I've stayed near to little villages and people always own cockerels. Where they are allowed to crow (in that they have enough headroom) they do so ALL NIGHT!! My friend and I used to laugh at us coming home from a bar at 2 or 3am only to hear the cockerel announcing dawn, which was a good few hours off yet! I can't think of many people who would tolerate a cockerel living next door in an urban environment I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 LOUD We recued a little pekin cockerel and only had him for one night. He was in a cat basket in the conservatory and woke us all up at 4am. Even the neighbours heard him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dame egna Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Ok......... so they're loud I'll give that idea a big fat miss then! Somebody on Practical Poultry actually suggested that I get a silkie hen and not a chick, and she would actually raise the chicks for me. I never even thought of that! Would that work? Would she need to sit on eggs first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 VERY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudance Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 We moved next door to someone with a cockerel. We used to lie awake at 4 in the morning dreaming of all the different ways to kill a cockerel. None of them were legal. We nearly regretted buying the house. We never got used to the noise, but the cockerel, and its owner has gone now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 We have a cockerel and even though I have lovely neigbours, I have to spend a lot of time each evening " packing " him up for the night ( and morning!). We cover him with black fabric to make sure it is as BLACK as possible and we fill him with corn in the evening so he is FULL. This way we delay the morning crow till afer 8 - which is reasonable in my book! He is lovely though. We notice that his day time crowing is mainly a communication tool to let his two " wives" know where he is- and he eats less than them as he guards them all day as they eat. So you can live with the crow but it requires dedication - and a lot of lovely neighbours. Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dame egna Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Hmmmmm ok, I defo better not go that route then - I suppose it'd be easier if I disliked my neighbours but I actually LIKE my neighbours lol so I'll stick to my original plan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Looks like my neighbours one was quiet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom123 Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I am VERY lucky in the fact that I have had 2 pekin cockerels and both have had pathetic crows that don't bother the neighbours one bit. We live in a semi-detached house and have neighbours all around. I think it is just luck of the draw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I think Tom is right. I like the balance the cockerel gives to the girls but I don't think we'd replace him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I have six cockerels but luckily only two are crowing so far - the two crowing ones are in a pen at the end of the garden but luckily we live in a village and plenty of other people have cockerels, thinking back to our urban life in Bristol I think I would have gone crackers if a neighbour had one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
