I am looking for a good home for a four month old Delaware rooster. He started crowing on Friday and I am desperate to find a good & safe home for him. He has been hand raised, is a bit skiddish, but loves to be held once he trusts you.
He is an EXCELLENT watch rooster, and terrific at keeping scorpions, doves, pigeons and cats out of the yard. Can not keep him as I am in the city limits, but can't bear to give him to someone that will not keep him alive.
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You do not mention which city you live in which makes a difference.
It is a common misconception roosters are not allowed in cities, a false statement in some of the valley cities. Phoenix has no prohibition against roosters, they are treated the same as a barking dog. How they are covered in Phoenix is nuisance noise, IF THE NEIGHBORS COMPLAIN.
Therefore, check the codes for the city you live in, they are all online. You may not have a reason to get rid of him, ask your neighbors if they find him a problem. Many people enjoy the sound of a rooster, often they make little more noise than a loud hen and are seldom as much trouble as a little yappy dog, or a cat in heat!
If you like him and he is useful to you, learn what the real rules are instead of just giving up too early. It may be possible to keep him if it is legal to have the hens.
You also have to consider HOA rules. They can be very restrictive.
It's funny that many places prohibit poultry, but not parrots and other loud birds.
Phoenix actually has a very clear prohibition against roosters. Unless you are on farm property this applies to Phoenix residents:
"(c) No male poultry shall be kept within the City limits except such male poultry as are incapable of making vocal noises which disturb the peace, comfort or health of any person residing within the City."
That being said, there are many people that keep roosters in Phoenix (I have a neighbor that does). Either they don't know it's against the law, or they are just hoping they don't get turned in. My neighbor brings his inside every night so the nighttime crows don't wake up/irritate the neighbors.
Okay, I'm not a lawyer nor a city inspector but.....
The way the code is worded, it seems like the noise has to actually disturb the peace, comfort or health of a person. If I own a rooster, and it makes a noise but does not disturb (because my neighbors don't care), how can anyone say that it is capable of making a disturbing noise? What is a disturbing vocal noise? Isn't that open to interpretation? Should subjectivism be part of the law?
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? If a rooster crows and no one is disturbed, is it disturbing?
Obviously the spirit of the law is to prohibit the keeping of a rooster, which is clearly gender bias ;) I don't want to be known as a scofflaw, but the law is silly. The code also reads that no one shall keep a dog in the city that is in the habit of barking. All dogs have that "habit", it's part of what makes them a dog. It only becomes an issue when a complaint is filed. The same should be true for roos....
My two cents (actually maybe worth a little less than that)
I am inclined to agree with you... sort of. I like rooster noises, but I will say that my neighbors' roosters often go all day long. It never bothers me, but I'm a couple houses away, I could see how that could really irritate his immedate neighbors if they weren't partial to the sound. You're right about the dog thing though, they're about equal.
The way the law is worded (the "incapable" part) it refers to roosters that haven't had vocal surgery to make crowing impossible. This always gives people false hope that they can just take their rooster in for a simple surgery and keep him. The reality is that this surgery is very rarely done by vets. It costs many hundreds of dollars, the roosters don't have a high survival rate and many consider it to be cruel.
The incapable part could also mean keeping them in short cages so they can't stretch their necks to crow. Not much fun in that, and it would be impossible to keep them alive without keeping them in a climate controlled environment, I'd think.
LOL! Yes, I think you're interpreting it correctly, Derrell. HOA rules are often more specific, but they vary. I've heard that some places say, "no farm animals." Last I checked, dogs are pretty common animals on farms. :)
That's a tough one, Rhonda. Roosters aren't allowed in most neighborhoods, they don't lay eggs, and very few make good pets. As they mature, they usually get snotty around people because their job is to protect their flock. Most end up in the pot for good reason. I hope you can find a long-term home for him. It can be hard to let go of something you've raised and become attached to.