How to Keep a Rooster From Crowing

Roosters crow for various reasons. To prevent roosters from crowing too often or at inconvenient times during the day or night, owners should know the possible causes for the roosters' noise. Roosters usually crow at sunrise because of their circadian sleep cycles. If their cycles are out of step, they might crow at odd times. Also, roosters might crow to show dominance of their territory, to warn hens of predators or if they are simply bored.

Things You'll Need

  • Timed light
  • Plywood
  • Food scraps
  • Compact discs or light reflectors
  • String or wire
  • Beam or pole
  • Animal control or animal trap (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Adjust your roosters' sleep cycle. Seal off your chicken coop, using plywood or other material, so that no excess light enters during the night and the roosters knows it's time to sleep. If you would like roosters to crow later during the day, install a timed light in the chicken coop and program it to stay on late into the night. The roosters will think it is still daytime. When timed light goes off, the roosters will sleep for part of the morning and crow when they wake later in the day.

    • 2

      Watch for predators near your coop. Roosters will continue to crow if they think that the coop is being threatened. It might be something as simple as a household pet or something as dangerous as a wild animal. If you eliminate the threat, either by calling animal control or setting a trap yourself, the roosters will crow less.

    • 3

      Provide enough room for your roosters to strut around their territory. If roosters are too cramped, they might cross into other territories, causing roosters to crow to show their dominance. Either remove some of your roosters or widen their roaming areas.

    • 4

      Provide entertainment for your roosters. If they are bored, they will crow more often. Hide scraps of food, such as corn cobs, beneath hay. You can also hang compact discs or light reflectors to entertain the roosters. To do this, locate or add a beam or pole to your coop, tie a cord or wire around a CD or light reflector, and fasten it to the pole or beam well out of reach of the roosters.