Do crow collars work

The no crow collar claims to keep roosters from crowing so that you can still keep them even in suburban neighborhoods. Do these collars really work and are they safe? Well, keep reading to learn what I think of no crow collars after trying them myself.

How do crow collars work

Before we can learn how effective no crow collars are we first need to know how they work. The whole idea is based on constricting the airways.

The crow collar is a simple piece of Velcro (I even made my own) that goes around the rooster’s neck. It is put on snugly and there is no set size.

The crow collar is supposed to constrict the airways so that when the rooster tries to crow he either can’t crow or his crow is quieter.

You may be asking, “Is it safe to constrict a rooster’s airways?” Well, let’s find out.

Are Crow Collars Safe

This should be the first question you ask before even trying a no crow collar. While this is a heated debate, I will let you know my personal experience.

I made a homemade no crow collar from Velcro and put it around my rooster’s neck. I was nervous that when I fed him vegetables that the large pieces may get stuck in his throat.

When feeding him some fresh tomatoes, I noticed that the rooster was having a really hard time eating. You could tell that this was not normal.

I took the collar off and he started to eat normally. I found that if you put the collar on that it had to be tight to stop your rooster from crowing and that he could not eat large pieces of food.

My rooster did not seem to have any trouble eating his regular feed or scratch grains, because these were small pieces.

Others have had the same issue where either they find their roosters dead with food stuck in their throats or they cannot eat well. Crow collars hurt roosters and can be risky.

Do crow collars work

This is a hard one! Yes, I found that crow collars softened or stopped my rooster’s crow, that is, when he wore it!

My rooster absolutely hated having a crow collar on (and he was tamed). He would use his feet to scratch at the collar and he was able to rip it off.

Even when the crow collar was on him he could still make out a crow.

The bottom line

Crow collars are not safe and using them can risk your rooster’s life! Crow collars may have some effect when worn but they can easily be removed by the chicken. Even when a crow collar is on, roosters can still make crowing sounds.

Alternatives to crow collars

I have tried raising roosters in suburban America a few times. What I have found is that even if you lessen the crowing your neighbors will still find crowing annoying.

I have tried closing my birds in at night so that when the roosters crow in the morning the sound is muffled. The problem is that roosters don’t just crow at day break – they crow all day!

No matter how much you enjoy hearing the sound, many people find these noises down right annoying. I have been asked by my neighbors to get rid of my roosters.

Often times this is the case especially if your neighbors live close. I have tried everything to keep roosters, but have found that eventually you must get rid of them.

If you live in the country or your neighbors like hearing a cock-a-doodle-doo then keeping a rooster is fine, but in most cases you are going to have to get rid of your rooster to keep the neighborhood peace.

What to do with unwanted roosters

While most people’s minds go straight to butchering the roosters of the flock, there are alternatives. If you live where your neighbors can hear your chickens, then there is a good chance that you cannot butcher your own chickens.

Make sure it is legal in your state before doing this, but selling chickens on either Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist has been successful for me.

It is surprising how many people will actually take roosters. You could even ask people in your community or workplace if they would like to take them off your hands.

You will even have a better chance at selling them if you sell them along with some laying hens! Just make sure that your roosters are tame.

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