Tips To Prevent A Rooster From Crowing
For a long time the roosters have been like a natural alarm for humanity, especially in rural areas. But with urbanization and technology, we can set alarms, cell phones or clocks to wake up at any time we want.
With the help of technology, the powerful noise of these birds so early can lead to coexistence problems. Next, we will see the best tips to prevent a rooster from crowing and disturbing the neighborhood.
Why do roosters crow?
Those who have lived in the countryside know very well that the crowing of the rooster marks the beginning of a new day. For many centuries, our ancestors took advantage of this natural ‘talent’ of these birds as a kind of alarm.
To this day, in some rural areas we can see the spectacular image of a rooster crowing in the middle of the first colors of dawn; we can even remember its sound mentally. But why do the roosters crow at the beginning of each morning? Of course, we must be clear that the roosters do not sing only at dawn, and that their song is not necessarily linked to that time.
In reality, it is estimated that they can sing up to 15 times a day, at different times and circumstances. Therefore, there is no single explanation for why a rooster crows, but the specific reason will depend on each context.
In principle, the crowing of the rooster is related to the responsibility that the male has to protect his females and chicks. By making this loud sound, you can communicate to other birds about changes in the environment or potential threats. The beginning of a new day, for example, is a phenomenon that roosters could report to their peers.
Some recent studies have also shown that singing at the dawn of the rooster does not depend on sunlight. That is, a rooster can know when to crow without the need to orient itself by solar radiation. In addition, in the field we can see that many roosters start crowing before sunrise.
How to prevent a rooster from crowing?
This question is as difficult as it seems at first glance. The truth is that singing is inherent to roosters, that is, it is part of their own nature. Therefore, silencing a rooster means repressing its innate form of expression. In addition to being practically impossible to achieve, it is not recommended for the welfare of the animal.
Unfortunately, some people go to the extreme of resorting to surgical intervention to prevent a rooster from crowing. Although this may be the only concrete way to shut up a rooster, it involves an invasive method that removes its vocal cords.
If we want to avoid headaches and problems with neighbors, we must try to reduce the frequency and intensity of their singing. In other words, if we cannot stop a rooster from crowing, we will at least try to ‘decrease its volume’.
Next, we will see some tips to make our bird sing less and with less intensity:
Tips to prevent a rooster from crowing
With these measures, we can alleviate a little the discomfort derived from the crow’s crowning:
- Provide a safe and calm environment: roosters often crow to communicate disturbances, disturbances or threats in their habitat to other members of their community.
Therefore, if we want to prevent these emissions from being very frequent, we must offer a quiet and sheltered environment for our birds. By perceiving the tranquility of its surroundings, the rooster will spend more time quiet and will take care of other functions.
- Attend to their needs : like all animals, roosters and hens have their own needs regarding their nutrition, health and well-being.
When they feel hungry or thirsty, for example, they can sing to communicate their need to feed, hydrate and feel strong. The same goes for the hygiene of your surroundings, the luminosity, the free space to exercise, etc.
- Fewer roosters, less crowing : Roosters also crow to demonstrate their ‘authority’ in front of other males and to be ‘alpha male’. If we have many roosters in the same field, they are more likely to crow several times a day to reaffirm their dominance over the territory and the females.
- Reduce nocturnal stimuli : at night, noises are more easily noticed and the crowing of the rooster will surely annoy the neighbors; we must avoid stimulating this bird after a certain time.
To avoid the effect of daylight, it is better that the rooster is not left outdoors at night, but inside the hen house, with low light and no noise.
