Do roosters crow more when lonely?

[punkrockgirl74]

We had a wild rooster decide to move in with us in our very very uptight residential neighborhood. As animal lovers we have been taking care of him, and he is doing a great job helping us with our soil (We will putting in a green house soon) "Roo" crows all day and night and it is driving the neighbors crazy. I have found him staring into a mirror we have on the patio on occasion and that keeps him quieter. Also when I talk to him he quiets down. We are looking into the city ordinances in our area to decide what to do with roo. We want to keep him but also keep our neighbors happy as well. So the question is: If we get roo a companion will he crow less? Or will we end up with noisy birds and start a war on our street? None of us have ever raised a chicken. Roo is an American bantam game rooster. He has great pipes. You can hear him from across the canyon. Also there are neighborhood raccoons that visit our property at night and a few hawks that were circling him last week. Any advice would be helpful.

 

[mtngirl35]

I put my roos in a rooster coop until I had enough hens to have a roo in with them. They did crow some. After I culled the 4 extra roos and put the remaining roo in with the hens he hardly crows at all. Just a few times a day. I won't even pretend to know why, though. But chickens are meant to be flock animals and he could indeed be lonely.

 

[punkrockgirl74]

Thank you for your reply!

 

[StephensonC]

I think maybe he could be lonely and getting him a hen would help. Be careful when selecting a hen though. You don't want to end up with another rooster. Lots of times people think they are buying a hen, but as the "hen" gets older, it turns out to be a she. Has happened to me and I see it on here all the time. Good luck with whatever you decide. Sounds like "Roo" already has a special place in your heart.

You might also want to get a small coop to keep "them" in at night, to be on the safe side with the predators. As for hawks, I use a fake owl in hopes of scaring them away.

 

[azygous]

Let me set the record straight on roosters. They crow for any and all reasons, most having to do with liking to do it and enjoying the sound of it. But one of the reasons they crow is definitely not because they are lonely.

And, no, roosters do not need a hen to be happy. In fact, giving your little man a hen will probably ruin the ideal life he has going for himself. A hen will awaken all sorts of hormones, possibly resulting in unpredictable and undesirable behavior because he will be forced to assume responsibilities he isn't pressured to assume as a bachelor. And besides, it would be no favor to the hen to be the only source of his attentions. He would wear her out and make her life miserable.

I know first hand that a rooster, living life without a flock, but having only a basset hound and a goat for company, can be a happy little lad, scratching around all day in the yard for bugs, and sleeping at night in the dog house with the dog, except during the winter when the rooster gets to sleep indoors on top of a file cabinet in the kitchen.

Yes, it's a true story, and I raised the rooster during his first several weeks before he went on to live elsewhere, but I've followed his well-being ever since.

So, don't jump to the conclusion you need to get this guy a companion. Not necessary. But do be creative in trying to manage his crowing so the neighbors don't mutiny.

 

[aart]

Probably not a 'wild' rooster but one that was dumped.

Maybe because of the noise or the fact that folks want chickens but don't plan on what to do with 'extra' or obnoxious roosters (I say - eat them) so they dump them somewhere to be someone else's problem.

Getting one hen for one rooster is not a good idea, as stated above, he'll wear her out.

Do your due diligence and find out if you can have roosters where you live, then research adequate housing and provide that before getting anymore chickens.....if you want more chickens.

If you keep him as a pet, he can fine alone if kept safe in a weather and predator proof enclosure or inside where nothing will eat him, including your annoyed neighbors.

 

[Toddrick]

My rooster crows when he wants out of the tractor coop. He usually saves his crowing until he hears that someone is outside to hear it. Just about the only other time he crows, asides from sunrise, is when he feels threatened.

If your neighbors are always messing about in their backyards (I know I am), and their yards are close to him, then he may be crowing at them. Or, he may be just an obnoxious rooster, which is why someone dumped him.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

This is my own opinion, so take it for what its worth, but I don't think chickens are happy to be kept alone. They are flock animals, and seem to very much prefer living with other chickens. Can they live alone? Sure, but would that be the best life for them? I don't necessarily think so.
As for adding more chickens and the crowing...
My roos, in my bachelor pen, seem to feed off of each other. They make quite a bit of noise throughout the day. When the bachelor pen is empty, and my breeding pens each contain one rooster and their hens, its relatively quiet around here. Yes, they crow, usually one right after the other, but it isn't excessive.
I agree that your first step should be to figure out if you're even allowed to keep him. If you are, maybe consider getting him his own little harem to look after instead of just one companion. He WILL wear a single hen out, and getting him another rooster for company may very well make his crowing worse.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Really, you won't know the consequences until you do it anyway.