Angry neighbours drag husband and wife to court over cockerel's loud crowing

The owners of Ricco, a Bantam rooster from Bourgoin-Jallieu in France's Isère region, are set to appear in court due to a neighbour's grievance over the bird's excessive crowing.

“Difficulty concentrating, sleep deprivation, hearing fatigue” are just some of the complaints made by the plaintiff, who has summoned Ricco’s owners to court, according to odditycentral.com. The individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a neighbour of the owners and claims that the rooster’s crowing is intolerable both day and night.

However, the owners of the 5-year-old bird strongly refute these allegations, asserting that Ricco’s coop is controlled by an automated system, which opens the door only at 8:30 a.m. during the winter and 9:00 a.m. in the summer. They maintain that the rooster crows about fifteen times within a quarter of an hour in the morning, with only a few additional crows throughout the day.

“There’s an automatic system in place that closes the coop door at 8 p.m. and opens it at 9 a.m. in summer, and at 8:30 a.m. in winter,”* explains Franck, Ricco’s owner. “When we first got the rooster, we decided to set the door to open at 8:30 to avoid disturbing the neighbours. Later, we agreed to open it at 9:00. But in winter, we realised the hens stopped laying eggs because they needed more light. So now, we open it at 8:30 in winter and at 9:00 in summer.”

The couple, who moved from the city to Bourgoin-Jallieu 25 years ago for a quieter, rural life, are shocked by their neighbour’s legal action. They initially sought mediation through the town hall, but when that failed, the neighbour chose to take them to court. According to Franck, he has spoken to all their neighbours—except the complainant—and none have raised concerns about Ricco’s crowing.

“We went to see all the neighbours, we know quite a few because we have lived here for 25 years,”* Franck said. “We asked them if our rooster bothered them. All the ones we had told us that the rooster did not bother them. And on the contrary, they wanted to hear the rooster crow.”

The plaintiff, who moved to Bourgoin-Jallieu in 2021, claims that Ricco’s loud crowing has disrupted her ability to enjoy her garden and caused sleepless nights. She is seeking a change to the situation.

The legal dispute centres around the French law of 29 January 2021, which aims to define and protect the sensory heritage of the French countryside.” Ricco’s owners argue that they reside in a “traditionally rural environment, while their neighbour contends that the Boussieu district is no longer rural. A judge is set to rule on the matter early next year.

Despite the seemingly humorous nature of the case, such disputes are taken seriously in France. This is the third case in recent years, following the infamous instances of Caruso and Maurice, two other noisy roosters.

In Caruso’s case, his elderly owner was given three months to stop the bird’s crowing, lamenting, My village is losing its rural character, selling its soul and land to urban development.

Ricco has found an unexpected ally in social media. A Facebook support page has been created in his honour, with followers cheering him on to keep crowing. Supporters suggest that those bothered by his singing should simply consider moving away if they cannot tolerate the noise.

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