Light is the main trigger for crowing - or the sight/sound of another rooster.
If you can keep your chook-house or night-box dark and reasonably sound-proofed - until later in the morning - that should reduce the problems. The roosters won't be set-off, and many people have gone to work by then. Also, other noises such as chain-saws, blower-vacs, music, wood-working tools, Mr Whippy vans, traffic etc are likely to be in full operation.
My two bantam roosters (an OEG and a Wyandotte) put themselves to bed in their separate sides of a brick chook-house which has a tiled roof. All I have to do is go and place pieces of thick polystyrene over the doors when I lock up. The doors are blacked out by black garden plastic, and the polystyrene - all held in place by weldmesh. These are removed when I open up next day. The ceiling, and other gaps in the chook-house are lined with permanent polystyrene which came in sheets about 8ft x 4ft x 2in. Very little light gets in unless the doors are open - and very little sound gets out.
If it is a very quiet day around the neighbourhood, I leave my roosters inside the chook house. If it is a noisier day (windy etc) I let one rooster out into the chook-yard. Later, toward evening, I let him and his girls free-range for a couple of hours. The next day, the other rooster is let out with his girls. I rarely let both out together. That way, they don't seem to get into the dreaded extended crowing competitions.
My latest little cockerell is just starting to occasionally crow - but he is like a fog-horn!! He is a cuckoo Orpington (possibly cross Cochin). He comes to the laundry door when it is fairly early in the evening and waits to be let in. He then has a peck at the dogs bowls - and then puts himself into a cat-carrier. I come along and close the cage end and lightly cover the whole thing with a towel to cut out light from the window. He does not make another sound until I let him out to free-range - often (on weekends) as late as 11.30am. I will soon have to make him a bigger night-container (see below) or find him a new home.
My roosters seem quite healthy and happy - and have adapted well to the above arrangements. The hens definitely seem happier with a rooster.
If you can get hold of some old tea-chests, dog-kennels (or similar), cover them with polysterene, or egg-carton type acoustic sheeting, or rolls of acoustic sheeting - as used in home-theatres (try Clark Rubber or specialist insulation outlets).
Glaziers or builders may have used polystyrene sheets available if you ask nicely. Cover this with something to water-proof it e.g. black plastic sheeting (my favourite cheap product). Make a suitable sound-proofed door. Line the box with easy-clean plastic or paper and straw. Make sure it has ventilation - but is kept dark. Align the doors or any openings away from the direction of neighbours.
The other advantage of using the polystyrene sheeting is that it is both noise and heat-proof. I have seen an ordinary metal garden-shed turned into a "Chook Palace" - by lining with polystyrene (for noise and heat control) - plus having green shade-cloth (raised a few inches above) covering the roof and outside walls - and above that a fixed sprinkler system which can be turned on if the inside temperature gets too high. If the sprinkler is used every so often to wet the shade-cloth, the inside temperature can be many degrees cooler than outside. A good thick passionfruit or choco-vine covering the metal shed with a sprinkler turned on every so often also works fairly well for cooling.
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FAQ
. he's inside at night and i cover the box. whenever i uncover the box and let light in in the morning he will crow about 6 or 7 times then stop. it doesn't matter if its 6 am or 9am. he doesn't do it yet during the day so fingers crossed it stays that way!
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