Some people find the crowing of a rooster charming and a part of country life. Others disagree and end up putting notes in your mail box. Rooster crow in the morning with the rising of the sun but also throughout the day. Here are some ideas for calming your bird and creating happy neighbors.
Roosters crow as a way of showing who is in charge. They also use it as a way to alert the flock to warn the of an incoming predator. They will crow if something like a fox is attacking the chicken coop.
We have great neighbors and have never had a complaint about rooster vocalization. Many cities have ordinances against having roosters because of the noise issue. Always check to see what are the laws concerning chickens in your town before considering a rooster. Silkies do crow. Some people think that there crow is less loud than other breeds. I am not sure if this is true or not. I think that some individual roosters are just louder than others.
One very popular solution is a rooster collar. You can buy one online or try and make one yourself using velcro. Fasten it around their neck under their hackle feathers. It will muffle the crow, but not eliminate it. It does not shock or punish the rooster, but it makes the crow quieter. You could also try a child’s tube sock or a baby sock with the foot part cut out.
Limiting the number of roosters you have can cut down on the amount of crowing. Roosters crow back and forth as a way to show dominance. One rooster crowing will cause the others to begin a crowing contest.
Giving a rooster more hens to organize gives him less time to crow. He is busy with his job as flock master and he does not become bored. Boredom can lead to crowing.
Keeping a rooster well fed will also cut down on crowing. If he is busy eating and presenting the hens with food, he doesn’t have the extra time for crowing.
We keep our flock in the coop until the neighbors are up for the day. I usually don’t open the doors to the run until after 8 am. They will crow inside the coop as soon as the sun is up but the sound is very muffled. There are ways to sound proof the coop but you must always be aware of ventilation. Some people will even bring their roosters inside their homes at night and put them in dark crates to keep their neighbors happy.
This summer we decided to put up a rooster baffle fence. The fence is between the coop and the rest of the neighborhood. The sound of the crowing is deflected up and back instead of going out into the housing development.
In closing I would just like to add that anything you can do to remove stress in your chicken’s life will cut down on the noise they make. Bringing people over to see the chickens will always create stress for the birds which leads to crowing. New animals in the yard will also create a noisy hubbub. Keep the environment calm and your flock will be calm.
For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com . VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul. We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available. Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.
Victoria J. Peterson
VJP Poultry 
Do you have pics of baffle fence? I’m baffled as to what it looks like or how to make one. Cheers.
I use wooden fencing that is 6 feet tall to block the sound.