How to Quiet a Rooster in 7 Easy Steps

Roosters are proud animals. Their vocal cords are second to none, and they love to brag about them even if it means waking up their master in the middle of the night.

But that’s not the end of your troubles, since roosters can sometimes crow up to 15 times a day. The chicks love them for it, but what about you or your neighbors?

So if you’re wondering how to quiet your loud rooster, here are some practical tips that will help reduce the noise.

1. Keep only one rooster

Roosters crow not only at sunrise, but also to assert dominance over their flock. If there’s more than one rooster in the line-up, they will crow as a way of dominating one another. So keeping only one rooster can significantly lessen the crowing sound by eliminating one of them first and by letting the remaining one be more confident in his rule.

2. Reduce the flock

A rooster will also crow in order to protect his flock. It’s a way for him to warn of environmental changes and dangers from predators. Even a cat or a dog can trigger him off and than you got a whole lot of noise on your hands. Reducing the flock will make him manage the situation more easily and reduce its need to crow obnoxiously.

3. Keep your rooster happy

Roosters are not completely altruistic. They have their own needs that need to be met or they’ll crow for their own sake! I’m primarily talking about food and water. Make sure that his coop is filled with food and water to reduce nighttime crowing.

4. Limit your cock’s movement and stimuli exposure

A rooster/cock that can run around during nighttime in an open space will inevitably be triggered by lights, predators or what seems to be predators but are actually harmless shadows. Even stronger wind moving the branches can tick them off and result in incessant crowing. The best way to limit this external stimuli is to keep the cocky rooster in a closed and darkened place during nighttime so that he has no reason to crow.

5. Use a dog crate or a pet carrier

Speaking of dark and safe spaces, you can place your rooster in a dog crate or a pet carrier. In order to make it more soundproof, cover it with some thick blankets. Moving blankets are great for muffling noise and one of these can be used to do this. Of course, make sure that there’s still some area left for air.

I recommend this large pet carrier from Amazon because it’s already pretty enclosed thanks to the thick plastic. Your rooster will feel like he’s arming a castle in this cool carrier! It’s better to use this type of carrier or dog crate than metal ones as far as noise reduction is concerned. Cover the floor of the carrier with hay and you’re good to go.

6. Use a rooster collar

Placing a rooster collar on your rooster neck will reduce the airflow to its voice box, reducing the volume of its crowing. You can purchase a professional rooster collar in a pet store or make your own. To make your own you’ll need double-sided velcro that’s 2 inches wide. Cut a 6-8 inches piece of velcro and then adhere the backsides to each other in order to make a collar.

It’s important that the collar is not too tight. There needs to be some space left or it could be really uncomfortable for the rooster. It should only be tight when it tries to crow loudly. Having said that, rooster collars are approved by RSPCA and they’re seen as a humane way to deal with the crowing. Definitely better then making a delicious rooster soup. 🙂

For guidelines on how to place the collar and how it should look like check out this video:

7. Keep your rooster as far away from the bedroom as possible

If the crowing is disturbing you throughout the night, make sure that the rooster is far away from the bedroom as possible. This is sort of self-intuitive, but it’s worth mentioning anyway.

If you’re using a pet carrier, you can safely and without too much trouble move the rooster to a more distant location during the night and return him to the flock in the morning.

Final Thoughts

Roosters are the kings of their flock, but they shouldn’t dictate your sleeping schedule. As Tywin Lannister said in a Game of Thrones episode; “A king who needs to call himself king is no king.” Replace that with crowing and you get a similar idea.

So make sure that your rooster knows who’s really in charge by using the tips that I’ve shared with you. You should not suffer through the noise, and now you have all the knowledge you need to silence your loud rooster safely and without too much effort. Hope this helps!