gingersam Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 my friends neighbour told her that its illegal to keep cockrells. i think this is about the noise they may make but ive never heard it was illegal??? does anyone know if this is true as my dear friend is very worried. thankyou gingersam xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 I don't think it is illegal ,but each council has their own rules. My council does not as we are in a built up area but my sisters 15 miles away does. Ringing the local council will give the answer in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloss-Hen Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 It is not illegal to keep cockerels but it depends on your deeds if you live in a residential area or somewhere like that it is hard to keep a cockerel hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 As far as I know there are no absolute laws against keeping cockerels. There may be a bye-law in a particular area, although I think that is rare. As Gloss-Hen says, there may be a restriction on a particular property, either by the tenancy agreement or in the deeds. Finally, there is a general principle that you must not commit nuisance, i.e. loud noise which would annoy your neighbours, and that is usually where the local authority step in under the provisions for noise abatement and environmental health. If the cockerel is causing disturbance/nuisance, they can get a court order to ban the owner from keeping it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersam Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 thank you so much for your replys, i have to say the neighbourhood dogs make a racket too so maybe they will mask the noise of the boy chicken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 It's not illegal - but making a nuisance (through noise) can be contrued as such. It takes someone to complain first - and if you already have a boy and have grown attached to him - it's sad when you need to rehome him! Hens don't need one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 it's harder to get a barking dog 'delt' with than a crowing cockerel so a complaint about a gobby cockerel is more likly to get looked at than one about a gobby dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Hmmm, a gobby dog - that made me smile. I wish people paid more attention to their own noisy children instead of lovely sounds of nature. I know which sound I would rather hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Agree totally, noisy kids and unchecked barking dogs, would rather hear a cockerl any day. I suppose the key difference is the Cockerel will likely be crowing at 4 in the morning which is when they do become a noise nuisance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPalmer Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Hi, I noticed you were in Essex as am I and I have not one BUT two cockerals. I am in Shoeburyness and before I got the chickens I checked our property deeds which had no restrictions even though the house was built in the late 60's early 70's. We bought three chickens was told by the breeder that they were hens hehehe yeah well first one started to crow then a month later the other one started. That first year we had our first complaint in March which was a noise violation. I called and spoke to the council person and he basically said that I had to keep it quiet before 7AM and after 11PM. He suggested I put just the boys in a very dark place so I got two pet carriers and put them in our tool shed and every morning about 7:30AM. I take them out and put them in their run (two separate ones due to they now fight each other). I then got another noise violation stipulating cockeral noise all day. I then called again and spoke to someone at the council. He basically said that it is seen similar to a dog barking noise and as long as it doesn't seem load before 7AM or after 11PM then there wasn't much they could do. He even said that he was in my area on a completely different complaint and said he didn't think my cockerals were that loud... hehehe And I do feel bad that the neighbors are not happy but at the same time I'm not happy about : 1) Their kids running around screaming in the summer to after 11PM 2) Neighbors coming home on Friday/Saturday after midnight night drunk and having relay races in the street or arguments with their ------fill in the blank 3) Guests visiting others but block MY drive way just when I went to the grocery and have a full load of groceries to bring in and have to park a 50 meters away from the door. 4) Car Garden (six cars parked willy nilly on their drive/garden) across the street that I get to view from the front window for the last 10 years even though it never changes but it couldn't due to no tires, no tax (sigh) 5) Having my neighbors lighting up my back garden. If my cockerals were out there the three spotlights would make them crow all day and night Oh my I could go on endlessly didn't even get to their pets Check your deeds if there doesn't stipulate any issue get a pet carrier and find a place even if it is a closet in the house That would be my advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Bathrooms are often fairly noise proof and dark, so that might be a good place for a cockerel to sleep at night. Luckily - touch wood - people round here actually like my boy, but if they do complain my back up plan is to put him in the bathroom at night, in a cat box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersam Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 at the moment im successfully keeping my two cockerills in two cat boxes in the cupboeard under the stairs, we let the out after 9pm so i think all will be well. gingersam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 After 9pm? Surely 9am? Or they won't be getting any day light which wouldn't be kind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flossie G Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Fascinating stuff! So, does keeping cockerels in a dark place at night actually keep them quiet? And does the night time separation upset either them or the ladies at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I think that must be a mistake, I'm sure gingersam must mean 9.00 am. Most birds, chickens included, will go into 'roost' mode in the dark - they go to sleep, and it's light that stimulates them to wake up. If kept in the dark, in theory cockerels will not start crowing until they see daylight. I say 'in theory' because it is quite hard to keep them somewhere completely dark. The other thing is that - again in theory! - cockerels need to stretch their necks to crow, so if they are confined in a box that has enough room for them to move about but not enough to stretch their necks up, then they should not crow until they are released. Since they spend most of the hours of darkness roosting, I shouldn't think the ladies notice their absence much! It's an awful lot of work to catch them and shut them up every night, and of course they will still crow during the day although it's usually the early-morning crowing that upsets neighbours. You also have to be careful that the place where you're keeping the boxes doesn't get too hot and stuffy - and of course it means you can't go away unless you have someone else to do this for you. I'm glad it's working for you, gingersam, but generally I would say that if you live in an urban area, cockerels are best not attempted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I've got a cockrel that crows at 5:30am in the winter and I've had spares crow in a 12"high traveling box that I put them in over night before I cull them for the table Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Last summer I had to separate my cockerel from his ladies (not because of noise but because he was having too much of a good time with one tiny one before I had time to let them out in the morning and was pulling all her head feathers out). Anyway, I used to wait till they had all gone to bed, then I'd open the door, take him out and pop him in his bachelor's quarters. He never objected as I think he was in roost mode, but in the morning he was keen as mustard to rush back to his girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersam Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 many apologies i did mean 9am, its working out good for now, and we seem to have a good routine. the boys just get in the cat boxes by themselves and the ladies seem to be ok in their absents, going away is not an issue for us (as we have a child with cancer), the chickens aqre a wonderful distraction and addition to our family. gingersam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
