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Crowing roosters

Hens and roosters can both crow however a hen’s crow sounds very different to a rooster crow. “Cock-a-doodle-doo” is the universally known sound that a rooster makes. Roosters are loud, proud and like to let everyone know they are in the neighbourhood. But seriously, why do they crow?

The age that a rooster first crows can vary, but generally, he will begin crowing at about four or five months of age. This will be around the same time he starts looking like a mature rooster.

It has always been assumed that roosters crow in response to daybreak. Roosters have an internal body clock which regulates their crowing activity. Whilst crowing usually begins at first light, roosters can crow at any time of the day. Some roosters even crow when they are hungry, or just because!

Crowing collars and black out boxes

There are several tools you can use to minimise crowing.

Rooster collars can help reduce the extent and volume of crowing. As the name suggests, the device is a collar which you place around the roosters’ neck. The collar stops the rooster from being able to expand its throat sufficiently to crow. It does not affect the normal breathing or swallowing functions of the rooster. Check the collar is not too tight and follow the instructions for the brand of collar you buy as they differ slightly.
Another option is a black out box. Black out boxes help limit crowing during the night. Your rooster is placed in the black out box before nightfall and taken out again after sunrise. Black out boxes reduce the amount of visible light your rooster can see. Black our boxes are effective but won’t stop your rooster crowing completely.

If you decide to keep roosters, you must obey our animal keeping requirements. These decide the number of roosters you can keep and noise nuisance regulations.

Nuisance

Not everyone will agree that your handsome rooster and his early morning crow is a pleasant way to wake up! If you are thinking of getting a rooster or if you realise one of your young chickens is a rooster, you will need to find out if you are allowed to keep him by familiarising yourself with our Animal Keeping Laws

You also need to check with your neighbours to make sure they won’t get upset by the crowing. Don’t forget roosters can crow at all times of the day.

Our Local Law No. 4 (Animal Management) 2002, states that the owner and keeper of an animal are to make sure when keeping the animal, it:

does not result in environmental harm or environmental nuisance
does not result in any major disturbance, inconvenience, or annoyance to a person’s enjoyment at the place where that person resides
roosters are not permitted to crow after sunset and before sunrise.

Ideas for dealing with unwanted roosters

Before rehoming your rooster, make sure the new owner has checked that they are allowed to keep a rooster on their property.

Rehome your rooster to friends with property or a farm.
Look for a new home on a local Facebook farm group.
Sell with a hen as a breeding pair.
Post a notice at your local produce store, or ask if they know anyone who wants a rooster..
Have your vet humanely euthanise your rooster.
Do not drop your rooster off in a rural area. It may not survive.

Some tips for rehoming your rooster

Don’t transfer your problem to another person. Relocating your rooster may not be the solution.
Roosters that are aggressive should only be rehomed with a warning to the potential owners.
Purebred and fancy breeds are easier to rehome or sell, especially with a hen of the same breed.
When posting for sale or free to a good home, include photos.
Include any information that can improve his odds of rehoming, like:
- gentle nature
- beautiful plumage
- or any other desirable characteristics.

It may take some time to find a new home for your rooster. Be mindful of the effect your rooster may have on your neighbours, especially if you're located in a suburban area during this period.

What happens if a report is made about my rooster crowing?

When our team receive an animal noise request, an officer:

will write to the owner of the rooster to inform them we have received an animal noise nuisance request and give the owner of the rooster information that may help reduce their rooster nuisance crowing
write to the complainant lodging the animal noise nuisance request to confirm we have received the animal noise nuisance request. If the rooster is still crowing excessively after 21 days the complainant can contact Council to lodge a follow up request.

If the complainant contacts us to lodge a follow up request, our team will:

start to investigate, this may include noise monitoring using noise recording devices and/or a neighbourhood survey.

If the noise monitoring confirms no noise nuisance then the investigation will be finalised.

If the noise monitoring confirms the rooster is crowing excessively, then our team will issue a compliance notice advising the owner of the crowing rooster to take action to reduce the rooster crowing excessively. Our team may also ask the owner to use other methods to help find a solution to the noise.

If the roosters owner fails to reduce the noise nuisance problem and our team identify further breaches, we may:

take further enforcement action, including issuing a fine to the owner of the rooster
remove the rooster from the owners property.

We may not be able to solve every noise nuisance complaint, as the evidence our team collect may not reflect a breach in the law. Our team will continue to support and educate pet owners.

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