The Rooster Alarm Clock

Black drapes.

Black polycarbonate walls and roof.

Roosters are protectors of the flock. They have 2 weapons of choice. Firstly, they have a sharp spur on each foot that they will use to claw adversaries. Secondly, they have an outsized crow. It is this outsized crow that rings out clearly up and down my street at 5am in the mornings.

I was petrified at the full throated blast that came out of Max. I remembered thinking the same thing when my son was born. How can something so small make a sound so big?

Happily, I live in a neighbourhood where families can still remember rural living. Yuppies have not moved in here in a big way. We have a neighbourhood of people who used to live in kampongs around here and made their living selling fish, mending badminton racquettes, selling bicycles and in construction. Neighbours have told me that the rooster crow brings back childhood memories. It is a comforting sound. 

Light Protecting the Coop

Still, it is my responsibility to ensure that my Max does not crow all night, nor too early in the mornings. So, we had to renovate the chicken apartment. We installed a black polycarbonate roof and 2 walls to block out light and give them a sense of privacy. Then, we bought black drapes to cover the cage at night. The chickens sleep in pitch black darkness all night. So, Max does not crow at night at all.

Hooding Max

However, Max still crowed at 5 am in the mornings. So, we decided to hood him like a badass falcon. The problem was, we could not find a rooster hood. So, we improvised with a sock (learnt this from someone on the internet). We cut a small hole at the end of the sock and hooded him. My rooster is no fool, though. He figured out how to wear the hood around his neck like Abercrombie and Fitch winter wear. So, we tried on a sheer sock with no hole. We had some peace and quiet this morning before he let out another full-throated blast. He had pecked a hole in the new sock. Hmmmmm... today, I will spend figuring out how to outsmart this clever Max. 

Hooded falcon. Badass right?

Abercrombie and Fitch modelling assays.

Sheer socked.