[Indiana]

thank you everybody.

I really would like to keep him and might try the cat box in the house at night thing. But he isn't a friendly sort of boy. He will fly at you anytime! 

I did check last year with our neighbours about a cockerel and everyone was ok with it. And the neighbour who is now complaining did in fact get me a cockerel from his daughter! 

I had to let all of my birds go last year as I needed a shoulder op and am only just getting fit enough to consider restocking and I didn't think getting a cockerel would be a problem for anyone!

the area where I live is all farmland and a lot of people do breed chickens and have cockerels so don't think that would be a problem here. But that isn't the point here. It's about keeping good relations with my neighbours.

Anyway thanks everyone for information and ideas.

[ANHBUC]

Hi I have a very large buff orpington cockerel called Ginger, when his ladies go to bed he pushes the door to the pen open, trots doen the garden and starts tapping on the patio door. We put the large cat box on the patio he jumps in ad is put in the utility room with a blanket over the top. This does not stop him crowing but it does stop him upsettting the neighbours. In the morning  we open the door and he trots back to the pen and waits for me to open the door.

This works for us and it only took a couple of nights for Ginger to get int the routine. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that I remembered someone posting about it before trinamc.  We don't have a conservatory but have an understairs cupboard which will be dark and cool.  They are only about 5 weeks old at the moment so it will be some time before the crowing starts.   

[trinamc]

Hi I have a very large buff orpington cockerel called Ginger, when his ladies go to bed he pushes the door to the pen open, trots doen the garden and starts tapping on the patio door. We put the large cat box on the patio he jumps in ad is put in the utility room with a blanket over the top. This does not stop him crowing but it does stop him upsettting the neighbours. In the morning  we open the door and he trots back to the pen and waits for me to open the door.

This works for us and it only took a couple of nights for Ginger to get int the routine. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that I remembered someone posting about it before trinamc.  We don't have a conservatory but have an understairs cupboard which will be dark and cool.  They are only about 5 weeks old at the moment so it will be some time before the crowing starts.   

The neighbours say they do not here him as long as we keep the windo closed overnight.


edited to fix quote