Notice: I am writing this to help those who want to use a crow collar. Not everyone agrees with there use. It is a personal decision to use them. Please comment if you have questions, not because you are voicing your personal opinion about there use.
Purpose:
Rooster collars, are designed to lower the volume of rooster crow. Nothing more, nothing less. Expecting different results will only leave you disappointed. Not every rooster is able to drop to the same volume as another rooster. Larger breeds, that naturally intake and expel more air when crowing, will naturally not be able to be muffled as much as a smaller breed. More air capacity = more volume.
Why?
We live in suburbia, and have a rooster. And our neighbors only know for the first 4-5 days of adjusting the collar. The only way to have a rooster on our 1/4 acre lot, and not have the neighbors hate us, is through the use of a crow collar. We want to be self sustaining BYCer's, and experience the full cycle of chickens. That is 1 of the main reasons we have a rooster where we live. We want our flock to be self sustaining. Not reliant on the feed store, or breeders every year for chicks. We want productive egg layers, not just pets. I have had 5 roosters use the collars over the past 3 years, all with differing results. 2 of them died at my hand because they were to tight and installed incorrectly while I was testing things, and 3 of them have not. 2 lead to being successful fathers, and one was rehomed because he was massive and could not be quieted enough.
My 5 confirmed reasons for wanting a rooster:
1. Flock protection
2. Flock management (less aggressive pecking order with the hens)
3. Tidbit (he finds food for the ladies, and tells them where it is)
4. Fertilized eggs for chicks
5. Hes handsome, and is cool to look at
6. (Unconfirmed) Hens lay more eggs with a rooster in the flock
Types of collars:
There are different brands, styles, colors, materials, and names for rooster collars. The first on the market to be sold commercially was the "No Crow" collar brand, and is still the most popular besides DIY. You can get on amazon, google, ebay, etsy, and various other shopping sites and find a vast majority of brands with lots of options. Me, I am frugal. I simply studied a few different designs, and made my own. For a cost saving example, I have seen brand name collars sell for upwards of $40, with foam pads, down to simple velcro straps on amazon for 5 for $15 bux. My point is, you have lots of choices.
DIY:
I went to Joann Fabric store and bought 1 yard of 2" wide, double sided velcro for like $7 or something 4 years ago, not knowing how many collars I wanted to make. I still have 1 foot of my original yard left 3 years later. My velcro ones do not really wear out, one of my collars was worn on 3 different roosters over 2 years. Each lesson learned taught me something, and I would modify the collar to improve its design, and then test it.
Above is my fourth version of the Collar, and my currently used. Here is a facebook video I made for our County's Chicken group, talking about the collar, and showing real life examples of the capabilities of a collar. Do not expect all roosters to have there volume reduced this much.
Application Notes:
Always, calm and comfort the rooster during installation.
I have best results when installing the collar AS LOW AS POSSIBLE on the neck, below the hackle feathers. Feel for where the neck skin spreads out to the the chickens shoulders, that is the lowest point of where the bottom edge of the collar should be installed. Smooth out the feathers lower then that, and install the collar on top of those feathers. I tried trimming away the down feathers there on two roosters, it seems to have negative effect as to the purpose of the collar. The feathers under the collar add natural padding, and will also hold the collar in place. So I suggest leaving all of the feathers in tack, and just make sure that you smooth out the feathers under the collar. Ensuring they are not being folded up towards the roosters head. If the feathers are not laid down correctly, the rooster will NOT accept the collar as fast (run backwards more), as it will take him longer to adjust the feathers on his own.
The no crow collar website has good installation comments here, but I have made a few observations and notes of my own, in no particular order.
- When using DIY velcro, I put the fuzzy side against the skin, so as not to cut or harm the skin
-If the rooster gurgles at the end of the crow, it cannot be tightened anymore or the chance of him dieing is to great. That is the lowest volume he will be muffled safely. Tighten further at your own risk.
-ALWAYS listen to his breathing, and observe his body language for 10 minutes after tightening collar.
-DO NOT tighten a collar, and then simply leave for work, assuming it wont harm him. Always allow for 10 minutes of observation time.
-If installed so your pinky finger can slip between the collar and his skin, and the rooster runs backwards trying to get the collar off his neck, he is ok. This is the phase where he is thinking he is stuck in something, and it trying to run backwards out of it. He will get used to it over time.
-If he drops his head and tail for any great length of time, it is to tight and he cannot do his normal duties.
-Observe the roosters actions. If after 30 minutes they don't return to normal behavior, loosen the collar. Normal behavior includes, eating, dancing, mating, talking.
-If stomach contents (vomit) comes out his mouth, it is to tight, and to high up on his neck.
-Larger breeds of rooster have stronger neck muscles, and a larger esophagus. They will not be able to have there volume drop as great as smaller breeds.
-Even 1/8" tighter can mean life or death when tightening a collar.
-Always hold him facing away from you, and comfort him while adjusting. Each roosters personality is completely different in how they will respond to installing the collar. I had a rooster stand on my work bench facing me, and not even care I was messing with him he was so docile.
Immediately Remove collar if the following behavior is observed:
-If rooster does death kicks (not simply running backwards), immediately remove the collar.
-If his crown and crop begin to loose there bright red, and begin to change to a dark purple/blue, immediately remove the collar.
-If rooster does death kicks and left to his own devices, he will fall over, injure some part of his body in his thrashing, crown and waddle turn purple, and die.
-If you have tightened the collar and reached the sound of him gurgling, but you still desire a lower volume crow, get a smaller breed rooster, and try again.
Caution:
If you are NOT comfortable putting your rooster in an uncomfortable position while you are fitting the collar on him over a few days, then a collar simply is not for you. If your rooster is your pet, and you risk loosing him, do not tighten more than your pinky away from his skin. The collars are not inhuman, or harmful if done correctly. Just like a choker collar on a dog. The Crow Collar is like a training aid, or tool. However, if done incorrectly, it will kill the rooster. As I stated above, even 1/8" tighter means life or death for a rooster. As shown in my facebook video, if installed correctly, a rooster can his job successfully, with only a reduction in volume of his crow.
It has taken me 3 years and 5 roosters to compile the information for this article from various sources. To include; first hand experience, youtube, social media, friends flocks, and online articles.
Each rooster responds differently, and each roosters volume will be reduced individually. There is not set standard for volume drop.
Purpose:
Rooster collars, are designed to lower the volume of rooster crow. Nothing more, nothing less. Expecting different results will only leave you disappointed. Not every rooster is able to drop to the same volume as another rooster. Larger breeds, that naturally intake and expel more air when crowing, will naturally not be able to be muffled as much as a smaller breed. More air capacity = more volume.
Why?
We live in suburbia, and have a rooster. And our neighbors only know for the first 4-5 days of adjusting the collar. The only way to have a rooster on our 1/4 acre lot, and not have the neighbors hate us, is through the use of a crow collar. We want to be self sustaining BYCer's, and experience the full cycle of chickens. That is 1 of the main reasons we have a rooster where we live. We want our flock to be self sustaining. Not reliant on the feed store, or breeders every year for chicks. We want productive egg layers, not just pets. I have had 5 roosters use the collars over the past 3 years, all with differing results. 2 of them died at my hand because they were to tight and installed incorrectly while I was testing things, and 3 of them have not. 2 lead to being successful fathers, and one was rehomed because he was massive and could not be quieted enough.
My 5 confirmed reasons for wanting a rooster:
1. Flock protection
2. Flock management (less aggressive pecking order with the hens)
3. Tidbit (he finds food for the ladies, and tells them where it is)
4. Fertilized eggs for chicks
5. Hes handsome, and is cool to look at
6. (Unconfirmed) Hens lay more eggs with a rooster in the flock
Types of collars:
There are different brands, styles, colors, materials, and names for rooster collars. The first on the market to be sold commercially was the "No Crow" collar brand, and is still the most popular besides DIY. You can get on amazon, google, ebay, etsy, and various other shopping sites and find a vast majority of brands with lots of options. Me, I am frugal. I simply studied a few different designs, and made my own. For a cost saving example, I have seen brand name collars sell for upwards of $40, with foam pads, down to simple velcro straps on amazon for 5 for $15 bux. My point is, you have lots of choices.
DIY:
I went to Joann Fabric store and bought 1 yard of 2" wide, double sided velcro for like $7 or something 4 years ago, not knowing how many collars I wanted to make. I still have 1 foot of my original yard left 3 years later. My velcro ones do not really wear out, one of my collars was worn on 3 different roosters over 2 years. Each lesson learned taught me something, and I would modify the collar to improve its design, and then test it.
Above is my fourth version of the Collar, and my currently used. Here is a facebook video I made for our County's Chicken group, talking about the collar, and showing real life examples of the capabilities of a collar. Do not expect all roosters to have there volume reduced this much.
Application Notes:
Always, calm and comfort the rooster during installation.
I have best results when installing the collar AS LOW AS POSSIBLE on the neck, below the hackle feathers. Feel for where the neck skin spreads out to the the chickens shoulders, that is the lowest point of where the bottom edge of the collar should be installed. Smooth out the feathers lower then that, and install the collar on top of those feathers. I tried trimming away the down feathers there on two roosters, it seems to have negative effect as to the purpose of the collar. The feathers under the collar add natural padding, and will also hold the collar in place. So I suggest leaving all of the feathers in tack, and just make sure that you smooth out the feathers under the collar. Ensuring they are not being folded up towards the roosters head. If the feathers are not laid down correctly, the rooster will NOT accept the collar as fast (run backwards more), as it will take him longer to adjust the feathers on his own.
The no crow collar website has good installation comments here, but I have made a few observations and notes of my own, in no particular order.
- When using DIY velcro, I put the fuzzy side against the skin, so as not to cut or harm the skin
-If the rooster gurgles at the end of the crow, it cannot be tightened anymore or the chance of him dieing is to great. That is the lowest volume he will be muffled safely. Tighten further at your own risk.
-ALWAYS listen to his breathing, and observe his body language for 10 minutes after tightening collar.
-DO NOT tighten a collar, and then simply leave for work, assuming it wont harm him. Always allow for 10 minutes of observation time.
-If installed so your pinky finger can slip between the collar and his skin, and the rooster runs backwards trying to get the collar off his neck, he is ok. This is the phase where he is thinking he is stuck in something, and it trying to run backwards out of it. He will get used to it over time.
-If he drops his head and tail for any great length of time, it is to tight and he cannot do his normal duties.
-Observe the roosters actions. If after 30 minutes they don't return to normal behavior, loosen the collar. Normal behavior includes, eating, dancing, mating, talking.
-If stomach contents (vomit) comes out his mouth, it is to tight, and to high up on his neck.
-Larger breeds of rooster have stronger neck muscles, and a larger esophagus. They will not be able to have there volume drop as great as smaller breeds.
-Even 1/8" tighter can mean life or death when tightening a collar.
-Always hold him facing away from you, and comfort him while adjusting. Each roosters personality is completely different in how they will respond to installing the collar. I had a rooster stand on my work bench facing me, and not even care I was messing with him he was so docile.
Immediately Remove collar if the following behavior is observed:
-If rooster does death kicks (not simply running backwards), immediately remove the collar.
-If his crown and crop begin to loose there bright red, and begin to change to a dark purple/blue, immediately remove the collar.
-If rooster does death kicks and left to his own devices, he will fall over, injure some part of his body in his thrashing, crown and waddle turn purple, and die.
-If you have tightened the collar and reached the sound of him gurgling, but you still desire a lower volume crow, get a smaller breed rooster, and try again.
Caution:
If you are NOT comfortable putting your rooster in an uncomfortable position while you are fitting the collar on him over a few days, then a collar simply is not for you. If your rooster is your pet, and you risk loosing him, do not tighten more than your pinky away from his skin. The collars are not inhuman, or harmful if done correctly. Just like a choker collar on a dog. The Crow Collar is like a training aid, or tool. However, if done incorrectly, it will kill the rooster. As I stated above, even 1/8" tighter means life or death for a rooster. As shown in my facebook video, if installed correctly, a rooster can his job successfully, with only a reduction in volume of his crow.
It has taken me 3 years and 5 roosters to compile the information for this article from various sources. To include; first hand experience, youtube, social media, friends flocks, and online articles.
Each rooster responds differently, and each roosters volume will be reduced individually. There is not set standard for volume drop.
