Rooster Abatement

HELP! I have a rooster who has taken up residence on my property. He is driving me CRAZY!!! He will not stop cock-a-doodle-doo-ing. I called neighbors all around the area to see if anyone is missing a rooster. No luck. I called Animal Control but they will not come get a rooster. I've tried chasing it but it just goes in circles. It is not friendly (is there such thing as a friendly rooster?) so I can't get near it. So how do you catch a rooster? I don't want to hurt the poor thing, but at 5:00 a.m. while I'm laying there wide awake listening to the dumb thing crowing, thoughts of murder are racing through my head. Any rooster experts out there?

you catch them in the DARK.
keep an eye on him tonight, when it's starting to get dark, see where he goes.
They usually will try and get up off the ground, so if he's a bantam sized chicken, he can get REALLY high. but just in the hopes that he's normal,
he should be within reach. then wait until DARK and grab him by his legs.

If he roosts too high, in the daytime you might try cornering him, netting him, oh, there are lots of ways. But you'll need more than one person to do it.

Maybe you need to get a hen.

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Originally Posted by zencentury

Maybe you need to get a hen.

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or maybe 11 herbs & spices. hehehe

:p

Ah, in the dark...hmmm, I'll definitely keep an eye on him this evening then. Thanks, mimitabby. The only problem is, I have about a million trees here so he could literally roost anywhere. And he's not a very big rooster - hopefully he won't go too high. I hate to say this, but I HATE this rooster!!!

Zen - I could get him a hen, but then they could make more baby roosters - now THAT would be a nightmare!!! :p

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Originally Posted by Cella66

or maybe 11 herbs & spices. hehehe

:p

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OK, I like this idea!

I wonder what you do when the rooster is your neighbor's and he starts crowing a 4 in the morning? I think the cat had an idea yesterday when she sat contemplating him by the fence. But I am a nice person and I made the cat come inside.
tempting to let her stay out, though...

You complain, that's what you do!
We had a rooster a few years ago. he was fine all winter (windows all shut), but come spring, a neighbor complained. We got rid of him soon after. Since he was so handsome and friendly, we were able to find him a nice home in the country.

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!

I am wondering if someone dumped this particular rooster. The area where I live is agricultural and everyone has at least 10 acres. I don't think any of the closer neighbors have chickens because I never hear roosters crowing. Then this one just shows up at my house. Seems odd to me. Let's see, I've had a child's bike dumped on my property this week and now a rooster...I wonder what's next!

I did successfully chase him into the apple orchard across the street earlier, but he's already back. Heavy sigh.

can you borrow someone's dog?

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

You complain, that's what you do!
We had a rooster a few years ago. he was fine all winter (windows all shut), but come spring, a neighbor complained. We got rid of him soon after. Since he was so handsome and friendly, we were able to find him a nice home in the country.

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My neighbors are spanish speakers. I speak enough Spanish to possibly ask them where their bathroom is, but asking them to shut their ****ing chicken up is quite beyond my range of skills.

You'd be surprised. people with chickens are very sensitive about their neighbor's complaints. especially if it's in an area not zoned for Roosters!

and people who live here who do not speak english usually have children who do!

Definitely get the herbs and spices out...and the axe...

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

can you borrow someone's dog?

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That sounds like a good idea.

I know that the shelter where I volunteer has humane traps for raccoons and cats and such, I wonder if something like that would work on a rooster.

Mimi--I was just thinking about gathering up a bunch of cut flowers from the garden and approaching the little girl next door in a gentle way. She always seems frightened of me so a complaint from me about the rooster might come across as extra scary. I'll work up to it, I guess.

:D

Have you considered sitting down and reasoning with the rooster...explaining that it's possible to co-exist, but that he really needs to do something about his sleeping habits????:D

Roosters are notoriously difficult to reason with, Mr. Silver.

I would prefer a rooster over a thumping stereo anyday.

unfortunately USUALLY thumping stereos which I also hate don't come on at 330 am, 430 am and 445 am, etc, etc.
Roosters crow all night unless they are NOT disturbed.

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Originally Posted by lauraelmore1033

I know that the shelter where I volunteer has humane traps for raccoons and cats and such, I wonder if something like that would work on a rooster.

Mimi--I was just thinking about gathering up a bunch of cut flowers from the garden and approaching the little girl next door in a gentle way. She always seems frightened of me so a complaint from me about the rooster might come across as extra scary. I'll work up to it, I guess.

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I think it would be hard to trap a rooster. CHickens LOVE worms, ( you should see them go NUTS when you offer worms!!) but they also like stuff like fresh corn.. So a trap with fresh corn in it might work.

I see what you mean about the little girl. My hispanic neighbors have strapping sons bigger than me. They'd be easy to approach, and the parents would cave because they don't want problems with authority!
Good luck!

Rooser update...

I think the poor guy roosted in one of the apple trees across the street. I could hear him crowing (first time at 4:56 a.m.) but I could tell he was a little ways off. So I turned on a fan and went right back to sleep. I just hope he stays over in the orchard and doesn't come back to my yard!

Yes, Mr. Silver, I did try reasoning with him...as a matter of fact, that rooster and I had a long conversation yesterday. I tried to explain to him that it wasn't personal and I didn't want to hurt him, and that I was sorry I was scaring him by chasing him through the woods with a broom, but that he really, really, really needed to go away and shut his trap because I was beginning to feel rage and hatred towards him. I'm not sure he understood what I was saying, but he did make some clucking sounds as if to acknowledge my point of view. And that fact that he roosted across the street makes me think that perhaps he was listening. :rolleyes:

Sara, if you can keep him away from your property, you're going to sleep better. Now I have no rooster but a neighbor does. I can sleep through the night without hearing rooster sounds, but during the day, I can hear him and when I'm not trying to sleep, I love the sound.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

can you borrow someone's dog?

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Ohhhh, yikes! Cruel and unusual punishment! :p
I'm more of an axe person. ;)

you could cut your foot off with an ax.

Too bad you couldn't send him over to New Hampshire - DH wants a rooster for our 25+ hens!

Sara,
Wyle E Coyote may be available to "handle" your neighborhood rooster.

I think I remember a series of letters in Dear Abby about crowing roosters. Seems like people wrote in and said the rooster could not crow if he couldn't stand up and stretch his neck. The solution was to put him in a pen with a low ceiling at night. Of course, they did not say how to catch him first.

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Originally Posted by Cella66

or maybe 11 herbs & spices. hehehe

:p

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This is how I dealt with our neighbours 4 roosters... I warned them and warned them and then out came the .22

I like roosters, but not when they prefer to crow after midnight and before 4am...

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Originally Posted by sara

Yes, Mr. Silver, I did try reasoning with him... I'm not sure he understood what I was saying, but he did make some clucking sounds as if to acknowledge my point of view. And that fact that he roosted across the street makes me think that perhaps he was listening. :rolleyes:

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I bet you charmed him;)

But his pride precluded him from admitting it directly to you, so he just left.:D

Congrats of the progress

Hilarious thread :D

There's a Norwegian childrens book series (prob. originally Swedish, come to think of it) about an elderly gentleman Pettersen and his cat Findus, who live alone in the countryside with a lot of animals. The drawings are just gorgeous, detailed and very funny.

Anyway, one of the books is about how the rooster Jussi (named after the famous tenor Jussi Bjørling) comes to the farm, and drives them all insane with his crowing. They reason with him, and set rules - five minutes of crowing every hour on the hour, only in the morning etc - but all this just makes Jussi very very mopey, frustrated and unhappy.

SPOILER

He finally gives up and disappears during the night. The hens are left behind to sigh and mourn, and dream up heroic stories about him coming back someday :D

That's funny - it's been translated into German but I couldn't find it in English:
http://www.amazon.com/Findus-Hahn-Ko...695009&sr=8-16

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Originally Posted by lph

Hilarious thread :D

There's a Norwegian childrens book series (prob. originally Swedish, come to think of it) about an elderly gentleman Pettersen and his cat Findus, who live alone in the countryside with a lot of animals. The drawings are just gorgeous, detailed and very funny.


That's funny - it's been translated into German but I couldn't find it in English:
http://www.amazon.com/Findus-Hahn-Ko...695009&sr=8-16

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That's too bad, sounds like a neat book.

How about a call to your friendly local animal control representatives? I mean, if they can fish alligators out of pools, surely they can handle a rooster....

This reminds me of the co-worker who had a Muscovy duck move in on her property. She eventually cornered it in the dark, but she had help.

I would suggest that you may have to get the shotgun out (the .410). A BB gun would work, but would have to be a accurate shot to either the head or neck.

Don't use a .22! It is too dangerous in even rural areas when they are that close.

Good luck! By the way, roosters will need to be stewed in case you want to dispose of the 'evidence'.

East Hill

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Originally Posted by Mr. Silver

I bet you charmed him;)

But his pride precluded him from admitting it directly to you, so he just left.:D

Congrats of the progress

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Well, evidently my charm did the trick. Mr. Rooster seems to be gone. I haven't even heard him crowing in the distance, so I have no idea what happened to him. We do have dogs and coyotes around here, so you never know. I haven't heard any gunfire but one of the neighbors may have plugged him while I was at work. Of course, there's the distinct possibility that he'll be back any time now. But perhaps he was a reasonable fellow and decided to heed my advice and get the heck out of here!

He really was a ratty looking rooster. I almost wonder if he was being kept for cock fighting and then he got dumped for some reason. He hardly had any tail feathers and his feathers in general were a mess. Oh well, the important part is that he's gone and I can sleep now!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lph

Hilarious thread :D

There's a Norwegian childrens book series (prob. originally Swedish, come to think of it) about an elderly gentleman Pettersen and his cat Findus, who live alone in the countryside with a lot of animals. The drawings are just gorgeous, detailed and very funny.

Anyway, one of the books is about how the rooster Jussi (named after the famous tenor Jussi Bjørling) comes to the farm, and drives them all insane with his crowing. They reason with him, and set rules - five minutes of crowing every hour on the hour, only in the morning etc - but all this just makes Jussi very very mopey, frustrated and unhappy.

SPOILER

He finally gives up and disappears during the night. The hens are left behind to sigh and mourn, and dream up heroic stories about him coming back someday :D

That's funny - it's been translated into German but I couldn't find it in English:
http://www.amazon.com/Findus-Hahn-Ko...695009&sr=8-16

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What a great book! I love children's books...especially the illustrations. I may have to get a copy in German just to look at the pictures!