[ftaggrower]

Hi All,

My allotment association are hatching chicks but they are only allowed to keep the hens so they are going to kill the males when they hatch. I was thinking I would get one of the cockerel chicks, but when it gets older i'll have the problem of it crowing. is there anything that can prevent them crowing? thanks! 

[min200]

Honestly... no.

People will say you can put it in a box overnight so it cannot stretch its neck to crow but once out it will crow for all its worth!

I believe there is a surgical procedure to remove vocal chords but how much it costs I have no idea. 

[joyfull]

sorry but thats what cockerels do.

[ftaggrower]

Ok, thank you min200 and joyfull 

Do all cockerels crow? and would it be worth raising them for meat?
Thanks!   

[joyfull]

yes all cockerels do grow. As for meat what breed are they? often pure breeds will be ok to cull around 24 weeks but you don't always get a lot of meat on them - maybe enough for 2 people and a little left for a sandwich.

[Sassy]

Honestly... no.

People will say you can put it in a box overnight so it cannot stretch its neck to crow but once out it will crow for all its worth!

I believe there is a surgical procedure to remove vocal chords but how much it costs I have no idea. 

For reasons I won't go into I had a cockerel in a low cardboard box overnight and it still crowed at first light!!

[Lindeggs]

When I was little (a long time ago now!) we had a bantam cockerel and Mum tried every trick in the book to stop him crowing.  It never worked.  Mum still regrets some of the things she tried in her desperation to stop him crowing.

As Joyfull said, crowing is his natural state.  If you can't have crowing, don't get a cockerel as you'll both end up unhappy!