Why and why do roosters crow? Reasons, photos and videos

Fertilization

Chickens, like most other birds, have love etiquette and rules of behavior in the flock. The rooster is the leader to whom the hens obey unquestioningly. The leader may have his own favorites with whom he shares food.

Interesting facts about roosters

Sometimes an unusual question arises: is the rooster a bird or an animal? But this is not quite the correct way to pose the question. The fact is that animals include all living organisms that feed on other living organisms.

Gallic rooster

Animals are vertebrate mammals in which offspring appear immediately in the form of cubs. Therefore, we can confidently say that a rooster is a bird. And there are many interesting facts related to it:

Among the Slavs, the rooster was considered a kind of alarm clock. Usually, with his first cry, the peasants woke up, with the second they went to milk the cows, and after the third they gathered in the field.
Crowing used to symbolize the coming of morning. It dispersed evil forces.
The rooster is a social creature. If he spends a long time outside the pack, he will suffer and get sick.
There is information about a rooster that lived for 18 months without a head. These events are known as "the life of headless Mike".
These poultry have a very good memory. They can remember those who did something good or bad to them.
If someone dreams of a crowing rooster, it means they should expect good news.

Additional Information. The image of a rooster appears on the coat of arms of the French national football team.

Disturbing silence

But why the rooster stopped crowing needs to be clarified as soon as possible. A bird’s voice doesn’t just disappear like that. Most often, the cause is a variety of respiratory diseases, which can soon lead to the death of the individual. Indirect symptoms of this will be rapid or intermittent breathing, coupled with paleness of the comb.

Sometimes the rooster is silent during the molt. If so, he will resume his songs when the difficult period is behind him.

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The worst thing is if, due to a recent illness, the rooster “changed sex.” This does not mean that he became a chicken, but internally he stopped perceiving himself as a male, a leader. He loses interest in his harem and ceases to defend his accountable territory.

The bird should be taken to a veterinarian immediately. In most cases (except molting), the rooster must be replaced.

Rooster bird. Rooster lifestyle and habitat

True, the Rooster cannot be called cowardly - if the need arises, he will really show courage. However, he says much more than he can do. A braggart, in a word. He is pleasant to talk to, but not very good in intimate relationships. The Rooster is quite lazy, and if hard work awakens in him, it is in a somewhat strange form. He always wants to do more than he can, sets himself impossible tasks and is very upset when he fails to complete them well. And yet, life forces the Rooster to be active. Nothing comes to him without difficulty - he is forced to work to ensure a decent existence. If the field of activity is favorable, he may become rich. However, he is able to extract money even from a thankless field. The Vietnamese say that since the Rooster has to “scrape with both beak and paws,” he will always find a worm, even in the desert. In a word, the Rooster is constantly at work. But if he allows laziness and daydreaming to take over, he will most likely sink to the very bottom

Although, maybe this is also one of the ways to attract attention? The Rooster is inclined to engage in agriculture and work that requires communication with other people. Needless to say, the Rooster loves to show off, and therefore, no matter how much he earns, he will spend every penny

He is often at financial risk. He is not an economist by nature, so bankruptcy may well befall him. In love, he also has to work to win and keep his loved one. The Rooster can disappoint anyone, because reality, as a rule, does not correspond to the dream. The Rooster man loves the company of women, among whom he can shine and show off, care for and feel admiration. True, things don’t go further than this. He doesn’t have too many friends—he’s not particularly interested in male society. The Rooster woman, on the contrary, loves the company of other women, and therefore chooses to work with a female team. Throughout his life, the Rooster experiences ups and downs, both in the area of finances and in the area of feelings. But his old age will be happy.

Several reasons why a rooster crows often

Speaking impartially, the loud “alarm clock” screams not only according to the schedule. He can start screaming in broad daylight. However, there must be a reason for this. It can be:

Invasion of the protected territory of a potential enemy.
Challenge by a young rival alpha to a battle for championship.
The upcoming sudden change in weather.

Young cockerels who do not intend to compete with the leader can also try their voice. In this case, the leader does not respond to the cry, but gives the impudent a beating. And if he doesn’t take the hint, he might peck him to death.

If the rooster crows constantly, throughout the day (or even night), there can be two explanations. Firstly, the personal character of the bird is affected. And here the owners will have to either come to terms with this or change the manufacturer. Secondly, a stressed bird can vocalize continuously. For example, if you bought an adult. In this case, you just need to wait until the adaptation period passes.

How to stop a rooster from crowing at night

First, find out the reason why the rooster crows not only in the morning, but also at night. Before going to bed, the chickens take a roll call, crowing one at a time. This is a natural process, so you won’t be able to stop a rooster from crowing.

If a cockerel “sings” late at night, it means that something has frightened him, and the bird is warning of danger.

If the cockerel “sang” late at night, it means that something frightened him, and the bird warns of danger. These can be both large predatory animals and rats stealing eggs.

In this case, it will be easy to “wean” the rooster from crowing - you need to get rid of the irritant. Secure the chicken coop so that predators and other animals cannot get in.

To do this you can:

Fill holes in the building with cement.
Dig a net around the chicken coop to a depth of 20-50 cm.
Concrete the floor if it is wooden.
Place traps for wild predators around the perimeter of the territory.

It is better not to use poison, as it can be eaten by chickens and neighbors' pets. Mice can spread poison throughout the area. In this case, the poison can harm children playing in the yard.

Mechanism of the mating process

Chickens are birds that live only in flocks and never alone. Any flock has its own rooster - the leader. The leader has access to any chicken at any time and can trample them as many times as he needs. If this right is somehow limited by other males, then fights occur, sometimes ending in bloodshed.

Ritual games are an important stage in the mating process. The rooster does not immediately trample the hens, at first he usually spins around the female and begins to lower one wing. After some time he begins to stomp. During the mating process, the rooster jumps on the hen, tramples her and with his beak grabs the female by the feathers on the back of her head.

Chickens reproduce using the cloaca, an expanded part of the intestine that opens outward through a hole under the tail. When a rooster tramples a hen, the birds' cloaca is everted and the rooster's testes come into contact with the hen's cloaca. At the same time, seminal fluid is released, which enters the female’s genital tract. The seed can remain active in the hen’s reproductive tract for about 20 days, and all the eggs she lays during this period will be fertilized and ready to hatch.

Mating proceeds very quickly, this process is repeated quite often. A healthy male is capable of mating up to 22 times a day, and the quality of the sperm depends on the frequency of this process. If a rooster tramples hens too often, the sperm concentration decreases significantly

And, conversely, with a decrease in the number of copulations, the concentration of germ cells in the seminal fluid increases. In order to maintain flock numbers and ensure a high rate of fertilized eggs, it is important to determine how many roosters should be kept in the flock

Weaning off night chants

The crowing of roosters cannot be trained. And it will not be possible to completely wean him from crowing. The following actions will help reduce the number of screams per day.

You need to check the chicken coop for holes - they should be concreted. Rats and mice crawl through them, scaring the birds.

It is advisable to make a fence about 40 cm deep around the perimeter of the chicken coop. This will also protect the birds from intrusion by uninvited guests. As well as special traps.

You can give a particularly noisy rooster to another flock.

To prevent the rooster from crowing, you can use a special Velcro collar. It is sold in veterinary pharmacies and specialty stores.

Operating principle: the collar slightly compresses the cockerel’s neck, preventing it from taking in full lungs of air for a long and loud cry. According to reviews, the device is safe for birds. And after a few days, a habit develops.

Scream volume

The volume of a cockerel's crow can reach 90 decibels. A dog's barking, for example, is not much different from crowing.

A crowing rooster is much quieter than the engine of an old tractor plowing a field. Some electric instruments operate with louder sounds.

But the crow of a rooster can become an irritating factor for an unprepared person. This is because males cannot be silenced at night or early in the morning. All the same dogs can be weaned from barking.

How often does a rooster crow?

1-3 cries are enough for the rooster to notify the neighbors that he has woken up. Thanks to their internal clock, animals crow every morning and after sunset.

It is not uncommon to hear a rooster crow during the day. The bird is trying to attract the attention of the female or scare the enemy.

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Reasons for stopping crowing

One out of two

There are times when the rooster crowed, and then suddenly and for a long time fell silent. There is an explanation for this too.

In some cases, normal physiological processes become the cause. In others, the sudden silence of the leader of the herd should be alarming.

Change of plumage

Cockerels moult in the second half of autumn. During this period, even the most active leader becomes less active and refuses to eat. Stops crowing, which is caused by a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones.

Molting lasts about 2.5 months. The later it starts, the shorter the daylight hours. This means the process takes longer. You can increase daylight hours by using artificial lighting. And then the pen change will be faster.

As soon as the molt passes, the singing continues with the same force.

Depressive state

It may be that the rooster stopped crowing due to a drop in self-esteem. That is, he personally stopped considering himself a brave and cocky leader.

Most often this occurs after a serious illness. Or after removal of the testes, when the male is no longer interested in the hens.

Aging and breed characteristics

With age, primacy is transferred to young, strong individuals. An aging male sings hoarsely and not so loudly. Over time, the voice disappears completely.

Hormonal changes and illness

A malfunction in the hormonal system of the cockerel also provokes the cessation of singing. Hormonal problems should be treated with the help of a veterinarian. Sometimes the voice does not recover after treatment.

A male’s voice may also disappear due to illness:

bronchopneumonia;
colibacillosis;
infectious bronchitis;
respiratory tract diseases.

Learn more in the article “Symptoms and Treatment of Common Chicken Diseases.”

How a rooster impregnates a hen and the age of sexual maturity

The chicken’s body functions in such a way that in order for eggs to appear, it only needs to reach maturity. It can occur between 5 and 8 months of age, depending on the breed. Immediately after reaching sexual maturity, the chicken lays eggs.

Their size, shell color, and frequency of appearance depend on several factors:

Breeds;
Diet;
Conditions of detention.

In order to lay an egg, a chicken needs no more than 2 days.

The formation process occurs as follows:

The egg matures in the ovary;
It leaves the follicle and enters the oviduct;
The formation of the egg begins in it: the yolk, white and shell appear;
Upon completion of the process, the egg begins to move towards the exit outside.

In order for the process of laying eggs to occur regularly, the hen does not need a rooster. Her body itself performs the tasks assigned by nature.

The male is necessary for the fertilization process, after which the embryo, the future chicken, begins to develop in the egg.

Chicken mating games

Chickens are gregarious birds that live exclusively in groups. In each such family group there must be a leader - this is the largest male who is able to defend his rights by force.

Indeed, there are fights between males for primacy, and quite fierce ones. Sooner or later, the younger rooster defends the right to be the leader of the flock, and the old leader retires.

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The leader has the right to copulate with any female whenever he wants. The rest of the roosters will do this when the leader allows it. When a male flirts with a female, he walks around her and scratches her wing with his foot. Shares food with her, shows certain signs of attention that are important for birds.

The expression “a rooster tramples a hen” is common due to the fact that the female has a hole on her back and the rooster, moving his paws over it, tries to find it in order to understand whether he was aiming correctly. The picture of sexual intercourse itself is quite rigid; fertilization in birds is a unique process. The rooster is on top and holds the female by the back of her head with his beak.

This process is short-term and often repeated. If a male is abnormally active in terms of sexual activity (about 22 matings per day), then this can reduce the concentration of his seminal fluid by half. If the number of copulations is limited, this will increase the percentage of fertilized eggs, as well as the viability of future chicks.

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Golden Rooster

Roosters are flocking birds. Like many galliformes, there is only one adult rooster in a flock, which has the right to mate with all the females, as well as several growing roosters. Adult roosters are expelled from the flock by the leader. If the owners of the flock do not seed them independently, then the weaker individuals will be constantly subject to pressure from the leader.

The rooster controls a certain number of hens. He looks for food for them, shares random prey, announces their daily routine - the chickens go together to sleep or to water. Roosters are not known for their docile nature - they are aggressive and lively birds, which is why they began to be used for bird fights.

Roosters are either indifferent or aggressive towards humans. These birds rarely show affection or interest in people. Most often, they seek to demonstrate their dominance by driving the stranger out of their territory.

Roosters and their flock of hens are territorial birds. They are not adapted to migration, so they prefer to always stay on one piece of land as long as it is able to feed them. Roosters move after fresh food. They spend winters comfortably in warm chicken coops.

Roosters are extremely thermophilic. They freeze quickly in the cold because they do not have any protective mechanisms against getting cold, unlike other birds such as partridges, pigeons or crows.

Roosters are also prone to molting, which occurs in late autumn - early winter. Their top layer of hard feathers falls off, in their place new feathers will grow by the next summer season. Roosters sleep with their heads hidden under their wings and standing on one leg.

Rooster fertility

Bettas begin to show interest in the opposite sex at 3 months of age. Males of light breeds are able to mate up to several dozen times a day, coping with a load of 25 hens. Representatives of heavy breeds manage to fertilize up to 20 females with a mating frequency of no more than 10 times.

The fertilization rate of eggs is affected not only by the number of roosters in the poultry yard, but also by their age. It is more difficult for young males to communicate with the weaker sex, who, due to timidity, spend a lot of time on courtship. Placed in a poultry house, they huddle together and try to stay apart somewhere in a secluded corner. Adult chickens intimidate young cockerels and do not allow them to approach the feeders. Therefore, often the poultry farmer, in order to avoid such treatment of the stronger sex, first introduces cockerels into the chicken coop, and then lets hens in with them. Then the hens stop feeling like they are the masters and show more delicate behavior.

How to make a rooster silent?

Attention! It is impossible to stop a rooster from crowing. If his screaming irritates you, choose a quieter breed. But even they demonstrate a ringing voice every morning.

To keep the bird silent at night, provide it with peace. There should be no openings in the chicken coop through which predators and rodents can enter the building. In the shed, place a feeder with grain, beans or other food.

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If this does not help, use improvised means. Buy a Velcro strap 5 cm wide from a textile store. Wrap it around the rooster’s neck (not tightly). The bird will not be able to take in enough air to crow loudly.

It does not harm the birds. On the 3-5th day they will get used to the “collar” and will no longer feel it. As the strap wears out, the strap changes, and sometimes chickens throw it off.

Advice! If you do not want to cause any inconvenience to your betta, seal the walls of the barn. The chickens' calls will be more muffled.

This is interesting

It is noteworthy that males speak different languages in their own way:

The crow of a rooster in Russia sounds like a crow.
In Japan, the male says - koke-koh-koh.
In Germany, the cockerel crows - kike-ri-ki.

There are also specially bred singing breeds of roosters. For example, Yurlovskaya vociferous. They begin to develop vocal cords much later than others, at the age of 9-10 months. Their voice becomes completely stronger as the year approaches.

It is also interesting to observe the sounds the chicken makes. According to statistics, the female constructs up to 30 sentences from the sounds made in her language.

When a chicken sings, you can notice how the production of pronounced sounds, intonation and timbre changes.

For example, chickens cluck very excitedly if they feel danger or stress. If you give a female a rooster, her cackling will be inviting. And over the hatched chickens she clucks like a hen.

Hierarchy and other features

The order of cockcrow is determined by the hierarchy. The leader of the herd sings first. Following him are males one step lower in status.

If a young man speaks up early and stops observing the laws, he may be pecked to death. Or make him an outcast for excessive insolence. On the other hand, any cockerel is given the opportunity to prove its superiority.

To a farmer, the crowing of a rooster can indicate various problems in the flock. We give examples below. Also, by singing males you can set your watch.

Not so long ago, in villages and villages, the crow of a rooster was a reference point for time. Most farmers woke up and started working on the farm with the first roosters.

What does crowing mean according to folk signs?

It has long been believed that this bird can predict trouble. There are many folk signs associated with crowing.

Let's consider why a cockerel can crow, according to popular beliefs:

If a bird screams very loudly and hits the windows, a fire may soon occur in the house.
The cockerel lost his voice - to the illness of loved ones.
If during dinner a Kochet runs into the house and jumps on the table, it means the death of one of the family members.
A bird shaking its head for no reason means trouble.
Waking up to the cry of a kochet in the morning means good luck and a good day.
Kochet is bathing in dust - it will rain.
Molting was considered a warning about good and warm weather.
A rooster crow in broad daylight means unexpected changes in the owner’s life.

There are many reasons why roosters crow, but the main one is their instincts and biorhythms. If you don’t like your bird screaming too loudly, then you should resort to the methods described above to get rid of it.

What to do to stop a rooster from crowing

Frequent and loud bird calls can disturb farmers. And sometimes neighbors may complain about the annoying “crow”. There are several ways to get rid of this habit:

Add a male to the young rooster who will be older (about 3 years old) and stronger. Keep them together for a month. After this, the young betta will lose his authority as an alpha male and will stop crowing as often.
Use a special collar that fits around the bird's neck, preventing it from taking in enough air to scream loudly by blocking the larynx. With such a collar, the cockerel will begin to wheeze, but this will definitely help get rid of unwanted loudness.
Choose breeds of bettas that are less prone to loudness. The loudest breeds are: Adler Silver, Zagorsk Salmon, Moscow Black, Pervomaisky, Minorca and Leghorn.

It is important to understand that crowing is the norm for a healthy bird, so before getting birds, you should think about whether you can tolerate the loud cries of birds.
Did you know? A chicken can distinguish its owner from other people from a distance of 100 meters.

How does a rooster determine the time to crow?

At night the rooster crows three times: at one, two and four o'clock. In any weather and season of the year, these dates are unchanged; in winter, the time of cockcrow may shift slightly towards the morning.

Experiments have shown that staying deep underground, spending a long time in a room closed from sunlight, and hearing loss do not in any way affect the bird’s ability to sing strictly according to the clock. Crowing is determined by their internal biorhythms, which are not subject to changes in external conditions.

An unexpected discovery came from an attempt by researchers to compare the crow of a rooster and the location of the stars. It turned out that the leader of the chicken family casts his first vote with the appearance of the star Canopus from the constellation Carina in the sky. When the star hides behind the horizon, it is the turn to crow a second time. How birds navigate by the stars and why the rooster crows for the third time at sunrise has not yet been established.

Why does the rooster crow in the morning?

Roosters crow in accordance with their position in the hierarchy.
It is generally accepted that in the morning a rooster crows due to surrounding stimuli: the sun rises, the air temperature changes. In fact, chickens have a biological clock that allows them to determine the time of day.

There are two versions as to why the rooster crows in the morning:

Initially, the crowing of a rooster was a signal that he was ready to mate. In the wild, the call could be heard not only by the female, but also by animals of prey, so the birds crowed at dawn.
Crowing is a territorial acoustic signal; it is a call to other chickens in the flock. One starts shouting, the others answer.

Why did the bird stop crowing?

You can get used to the loud cries of a rooster, but its silence is a reason to think about the health of the bird.

A cockerel may stop crowing for several reasons:

Infectious bronchitis is a disease of the respiratory organs, which, unfortunately, has no cure. However, the meat of a sick bird will not harm a person.
Bronchopneumonia - with this disease, the kochet begins to wheeze. The sick rooster is isolated, treated with antibiotics, and after a week is returned to the chicken coop.
Colibacillosis is caused by E. coli. It affects the internal organs of the bird. Treated with antibiotics.
Molting - the cockerel becomes silent only for the period of molting, after which it begins to sing again.
The aging process - with age, birds begin to wheeze and may stop screaming altogether.
Changes in hormonal levels.

Important! If you are unsure of the reason why your rooster has stopped singing, be sure to contact your veterinarian. If an infectious disease is detected, this will help prevent infection of other inhabitants of the chicken coop.

At what age does a rooster begin to crow?

The first attempts to crow by a young cockerel can be heard at the age of two and a half months, when he is just learning to make himself known with this sound.

While learning, the cockerels sing every half hour. The number of crowing birds increases by three months of life; at 4–5 months most individuals begin to crow, and at the age of 6 months all cockerels are already crowing.

Important! If the bird is silent after six months, you need to contact a veterinarian.

Household signs

There were countless signs predicting the near future of the entire family based on the behavior of the domestic rooster.

Waking up in the morning to the sounds of a rooster crowing is a sign of great luck; the whole coming day will be extremely favorable.

A rooster crows in the middle of the night - trouble almost happened; With its ringing voice, the bird drove away death flying nearby or one of its “angels.” According to other signs, the rooster crows late in the evening, at night - to the dead.

A kochet suddenly singing in the middle of the day warns the owner about sudden changes in his life and, perhaps, about the imminent appearance of some urgent matter.

With an important look, the rooster “patrolling” the yard and constantly “preening” hints to the family about an imminent visit from a stranger. The behavior of a kochet who suddenly stopped at the gate (or on the threshold of a house) and “crowded” was interpreted similarly.

Roosters of the purest black color are quite rare. Such birds have long been considered “witchcraft” and even “devilish”; they were credited with a direct connection with the other world and the ability to “bring disaster” to a stranger.

To this day, there is a sign that in a strong thunderstorm (or other bad weather) you should stay as far away from the black rooster as possible; otherwise, it might even strike you with lightning. But in normal times it is even useful to have such a bird on your farm. It is believed that the owner of a black rooster is not afraid of thieves or other ill-wishers. After all, the “witch bird” reliably protects his property and himself from any encroachment from the outside.

An interesting fact: in the cultures of many nations, the black rooster is considered a symbol of material wealth and well-being, but, at the same time, an unsuccessful marriage and a weak family.

The ancient Greeks believed that the lion was afraid of the rooster's voice.

In many places it is believed that the best time to take the medicine is when the rooster is crowing.

Scream at different times

The rooster crows several times during the night, in the morning and during the day. Let's find out exactly what time he starts crowing.

Numerous observations show that the rooster crows at night at one and two. In the morning, his cry invariably begins at 4 o'clock.

For many, it remains a mystery how the rooster determines the time to crow. Japanese scientists have concluded that the male's calls directly depend on the appearance of stars in the sky.

Biological clock is another reason that causes rooster crows. The bird clearly senses time intervals. This leads to a loud notification to the herd about the passage of a certain time.