[eggbertina]

Just visited a local agricultural show and we are very tempted to get a small bantam cockerel.  The ones we saw looked so cute!  We have 3 ISA brown hens - all very healthy, happy, great egg layers.  Would they accept one bantam cockerel companion?  What type of bantam cockerel would be best?  Is there any such thing as a fairly quiet bantam cockerel? .. as our garden is small and we don't want to annoy the neighbours!  We saw pekins, but are concerned about leg and foot problems with those feathery trousers!!  Sulmtalers looked interesting as they had no feather leggings.  All advice and suggestions warmly appreciated!

[GrannieAnnie]

If you have close neighbours, best idea is not to have a cockerel.

We get loads of new members on here getting a cockerel as they are sooooo lovely!  But then neighbours start to complain, and although there are a few cockerels which aren't so noisy, they are few and far between.

then neighbours start to complain to councils, and some people have had heaps of misery over it.

So wait until you move to the middle of nowhere, or are surrounded by like minded people, then get your cockerels.

We had 14 at one time!!  

[eggbertina]

Thanks GrannieAnnie!  Will heed your advice and resist the handsome chappies.    Keep waiting to win that lottery and then we'll be off to a smallholding!!

[GrannieAnnie]

Just didn't want to see you upset if anyone complained. Of course you could do a check around the neighbours to see how they feel about it, and if they don't mind being woken up at yukky o'clock in the morning well........   

[Sassy]

Good advice from Grannie. It is almost impossible to re-home cockerels and bantams are not usually any quieter than large fowl.

[Alec]

Just thought i'd add my comments on this subject.I can speak from our own experience of having a lovely pekin cockerel(Percy) we hatched ourselves.He was a lovely bird But became very aggressive and territorial.He would be do some amazing running kung foo type kicks and draw blood on his attacks.Now for me 6 foot plus i used to stand up to him and he would back down,But for my 2 grandaughters 6 and 10 he used to terrify them.They love our bantams and hand feed them and the sight of them not being able to go into the garden was the last straw.
As for his crowing i feel we must put ourselves in our neighbours shoes and be honest the crowing can be a nuisance.We are all not dog lovers,motor bike fans or chicken lovers.We felt it better to take action before any ill feeling or complaints were made.Luckily we managed to re home him at a local farm and see him regularly.He's happy,the neighbours are happy and most of all our grandaughters can play in the garden again,Best Wishes Alec

[NigelB]

We've kept a cockerel for years. On the one side of the garden fence, there's a dog that barks all day, on the other, the same....
One of the neighbours made a few passing remarks last year about the cockerel waking him up early so I offered him a deal. I'll eat our cockerel if he'll do the same to his dog...
He hasn't taken me up on it so far.....
I sometimes think people complain about them just because they can, and the councils will follow it up almost blindly if tipped off.
I often wonder where these people think new chicks come from!

[pekinpete]

reading on this site and other ones i see that there are lot of people who would like to keep cockerels but are worried about neighbours complaining about the noise birds make early in the morning,i had same trouble and was advised by council to put my bird in a cockerel box,i put bird in at night when i lock up and let out next day i find 8.30 to be ok as most people are up,i know a lot of members might think this cruel but i assure members it's not and if it means being able to keep a cockerel it's worth thinking about it,i am able to put box in shed which also helps muffle crowing once again let me assure members that my bird is not ill treated and as a result i'm able to keep cockerel

[eggbertina]

Thank you everybody for taking the time to share your experiences and advice.  On balance I think we'll stick with our hens and wait to keep a cockerel .... should we ever be in a position to move somewhere with neighbours not so close.