why do roosters crow?

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430 in the mmorning, no ,lights,, suns not up yet,, yet the rooster starts to crow,, continues for about 20 mins, then stops until I let them out. Question:, why does he want to crow that early? Is it a territoial thing?, a challenge to some noise that he hears, (or thinks he hears)?, Or just a dumb bird?

Also,, whats up with the "Rooster Dance"? ONe wing down, kinda shuffles in circles, the same dirrection the wing is down. Ive seen it do it in front of the hens, and even me, till I kick it out of the way.

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), October 30, 2002

Answers

Ever watch a film on Prarie Chickens? They dance and make drumming sounds to attract a mate. NOW you know how Prarie Chickens got their name!

As for why the rooster dances for you.....there is no accounting for taste, LOL.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), October 30, 2002.


Good one, Terri :-)!!! I've had roosters crow at MIDNIGHT before. Don't know what sets them off. About the dancing...most of the time I don't even think the hens are impressed!! When they start doing it for my 5 yr. old granddaughter, though, that's when the roosters go in the freezer!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), October 30, 2002.

My Bantams crow on & off from 4:15 am until close to midnight. Even on the sunniest days those little guys will be out there crowing at noon! If I flip on the flood lights during the night that will start all of them crowing and then they will continue even after the light is off. I like the chicken dance, it's so funny since the only ones impressed are the other roosters and never the hens. I have one Japanese golden laced bantam hen who crows! She lays an egg every day so I am sure it's a she but she lets out with a crow every morning. Odd little chicken. :)

-- Kathy (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), October 30, 2002.

Yes, they crow when ever the mood strikes. All day, everyday. Some at night until the porch light gets turned off. I record music and love sampling sounds, so i recorded The white Frizzle rooster and the hens cackling one day. I made a song about my struggles with racoons getting into the hen house and if i play it, the rooster crows immediately. if i mimick a crow when hes silent (which i rarly do anymore cause i value the silence from him) he crows.

If you would like to hear the chicken song, email me and ill send it. Its a full production song, not just me songing about chickens to an acoustic. you may like it.

faders@yahoo.com

-- david (faders@yahoo.com), May 27, 2003.


David , do you have any goat songs ?

It's funny that song writers write about what they experience . So you get Bob Dillion writing songs about the energy happening in the sixties and you get Homesteaders writing about Chickens.

I guessing there will soon be a market for chicken songs in the near future , as homesteading becomes more and more of a Fad .

-- Jesus Bob (heavens@inn.com), May 27, 2003.



can you all please help me find a answer??? why other birds cannot crow at daybreak??? please email me the ans...!!!! narutox_88@hotmail.com

-- Lek Guan Wei (narutox_88@hotmail.com), July 03, 2003.

if you re read the other posts, not ( most ) rooster dont crow at daybreak, its just a myth.

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), July 03, 2003.

Songbirds can crow in the morning, sort of. Thats what all the chirping is.

Roosters mostly crow to mark thier territory and let other bird know to stay away.

Any noise or light at night will make your rooster crow.

If he's crowing at 3 in the morning, then something is makeing him crow. Any noise, light, passing cars, passing animals, even chirping birds!!

If you want to keep your rooster quite, put him in a place at night where he can hear and see nothing. He will be quieter.

-- Michael Livingstone (boneswa@whidbey.com), July 10, 2003.


Hi All,

since i posted above about the chicken song, i have had a few people request the song. I have sent the link to them then i never hear from themn again. So i dont know if anyone liked it or not. But here's the link if anyones wants to hear it. Like i said, ist about me struggling with the raccoons getting the chickens.

the link to the Chicken Song: http://onlinerock.com/musicians/sadchickens/sadchick06.mp3

links to the song page: http://www.positiveid.onestop.net/guitars.htm

all the songs are different ones that i did over the years. If you get a chance to listen and feel like letting me know, writ eme, good or bad reviews welcome. Thanks in advance.

I dont have the answer to why a rooster crows (I have found that they do whenever they feel like it and ya cant stop them except to spray em withe the garden hose, lol.

The reason however for the dance they do is a mating call dance. when they do this, if there is a submissive female around, she will submit to him and do the "other dance" which is over very quickly.

Have fun! David

-- David M (faders@yahoo.com), August 10, 2003.


i was just reading a tom robbins book, "even cowgirls get the blues," and he made a joke that a rooster crows to clear its sinuses. i have also recorded a rooster crow,then pitched it down, and it sounded like a saxophone blues riff. i fit it into a song, but it wasn't about chickens.

-- jennifer drake (drakiferjen@hotmail.com), November 09, 2003.


<< "i have also recorded a rooster crow,then pitched it down, and it sounded like a saxophone blues riff. i fit it into a song, but it wasn't about chickens " >>

Interesting .

-- JB (heavens@inn.com), November 09, 2003.


what must roosters do to crow???

-- drexxx (chantelleiswicked@hotmail.com), November 16, 2003.

David, I liked the chicken song, but can't make out some of the words. Can you post the lyrics?

-- Too Shy (TooShyNeverAgain@yahoo.com), December 11, 2003.

I liked the Chicken song. It had a nice rhythm. Since my boss is always using "farm analogies," such as "don't count your chickens before they hatch" and "It's harvest time," I sent it to him. Hopefully he will enjoy it.

As for my experience with roosters, when I was very young... maybe 7 or 8, I went to my uncle's house. They had a chicken named Lila (after the Sesame Street Song). I carried the chicken around under my arm everywhere I went. It was definitley a "Pet Chicken." The rooster got jealous of my relationship with Lila one morning and attacked me... I still have the scars on my leg from his beak and claws.

Needless to say, I've avoided carrying a chicken around with me since then.

Amanda

-- Amanda Sesslar (asesslar@enquirer.com), December 24, 2003.


How old will a rooster be before he starts to crow? How long do I have to wait till I know for sure whether my chickens are hens or roosters?

-- Tania (tazza2@bigpond.com.au), February 27, 2004.


I do not have an answer--- I came to internet looking for a solution

Someone gave my daoughter 3 roosters and they start crowing at 3am

I always thought they crowed right before daylight

Driving me crazy, they are mixed up! If anyone has a suggestion besides eating them let me know.

-- (only1krystal@aol.com), September 03, 2004.


Hi Jesus Bob, there are some other songs on that page that you many enjoy as well under the heading of " Older Orginals"

Amanda and tooshy, Thanks for listening and sorry for this late, LATE response. I had fogotten about the page until someone eamiled me today.

Here are the lyrics to the Chicken Song: hope no one takes offence. It really is a true story.

Sad Little Chickens... Well I got a bunch 'a' chickens, thought i'd giv'em all a good home. Because i got ten acres, that enough for them to roam. I put the bitties in the shed 'cause the weather got cold. cause theyre little yellow fur balls only 3 days old.

The weather warmed up so I put 'em outside. But the 'coons came and ate 'em should've left 'em inside. They snatched 'em through the wire and they pulled off their legs, Then they finished 'em off, when they pulled of their heads, (deal little chickens) (off with their heads!)

Sad Little chickens......

Wheres your mommy? Where's their mommy when they need 'em most!

Now, me and my baby, are goin for a ride. To get more chickens, and put em inside...

Sad little chickens, little-little chicken, Sad Little Chickens.

I appreciate everyones response and taking their time to listen.

PS:

Hurricane Francis:

My white frizzle rooster and his Rhode Island Red Hen came out just fine during Hurricane Francis, our house didnt do so well but it couldve been much worse. hope you all faired these past 2 hurricanes well and are not in the path of this " Ivan " storm. Even the name "Ivan" reminds me of Ivan the Terrible. Could be very ironic, I pray not.

-- David (faders@yahoo.com), September 09, 2004.


Just thought i'd throw this in....

I never believed this but i had a few hens begin to crow last year. My mom told me that it could happen buti though she must've s=mistook them roosters, but nope. white leghorn hens began to crow... just about all of them. was pretty funny at first, then it was anoying just like crowing can be at times when it's relentless.

-- david (faders@yahoo.com), September 09, 2004.


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