Why roosters crow in the morning and the reasons for the lack of crowing
Why do some roosters crow only in the morning, while others all day long. Not everyone knows how to calm a screamer. The sounds that males make are very loud, their frequency approaches 90 dB. Because of this, people living next to the chicken coop have a hard time. Cock crowing interferes with morning and night sleep. Few people are attracted to the lyrics, when the rolling ku-ka-re-ku is distributed a hundred times a day.
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Why does the rooster crow
Each rooster has its own unique ku-ka-re-ku, the sounds of which are carried up to 2 km. The henhouse owner publishes it first. For young cockerels this is not by rank, they sing after him. Males at the top of the hierarchy declare loudly crowing about their territory, the presence of a subordinate harem - laying hens.
In the morning
When the rooster and hens were wild, the male with his rolling ku-ka-re-ku lured the female to mate. In order not to suffer from predatory animals, he did it in the early morning, when they went to rest.
The wild kochet shouted out to mark the boundaries of its territory. Other males did not encroach on her. Intimidation of rivals reduced the number of battles for the zone of influence, this contributed to the spread of the species. Domesticated birds continue the traditions of their wild ancestors. Their morning singing is carried far away, waking the surrounding residents.
During the day
In the afternoon, the roosters carry out roll-call. With a cry, they declare themselves. Its duration depends on the breed. Most often it lasts 30-60 seconds. The most noisy breeds:
- May Day;
- Zagorsk salmon;
- adler silver;
- Moscow black.
The more chicken coops in the settlement, the more often the cochets bawl during the day. They have a roll call. Evening crowing is calm, rare. It is a collection signal for the hens. Hearing him, they hurry to roost in the chicken coop.
At night
Screaming at night is rare. Chickens sleep at this time, so there is no need for the male to declare his dominance. In the dark, a rooster worried about something sounds an alarm. It happens that he notifies about a predator that has entered the territory of the chicken coop. At 3 o'clock in the morning the "first roosters" crowed.
At what age does the bird begin to crow
The first sample of the voice is more like a squeak. Healthy male chicks begin to crow at the age of 2.5-3 months, most 4-5-month-old males bawl continuously. By 6 months, everyone crows.
Healthy, large individuals begin to cry exactly in time before sick and weaker males.
How to wean a rooster from screaming?
A person cannot wean a bird from a habit that is inherent in nature. Scientists have proven that roosters have an internal circadian clock. This explains the fact that a loud koo-ka-re-ku is heard exactly at dawn in a dark, windowless chicken coop. The host cannot turn off the live alarm, but can adjust the volume and frequency of the cock trills.
Often males bawl if they are worried about their family. This should be taken into account when choosing a place for a chicken coop. It is better to build it away from the fence, parking lots, family resting places. Trees and shrubs planted along the perimeter of the rooster kingdom are good at reducing noise and bird calls.
In the literature, there are descriptions of cruel methods of training kochets. One option is when a special collar is used. With its help, the volume of sounds is adjusted by squeezing the larynx. The second option is to dip the cock's head in water. They should not be used. It is cruel and ineffective. Chickens fly better if the family is led by a healthy, confident male, and not by a bird under constant stress.
To stop the night crowing, you need to revise the hen house. Plan and carry out renovations:
- patch up holes;
- dig in the net around the perimeter of the chicken coop;
- pour concrete on the floor.
After such a reconstruction, small predators will not be able to enter the premises, the rooster will be silent at night.
If there are many young roosters in the hen house who are constantly yelling, then it is very easy to calm them down. We need to add an alpha male to them. He must be older than the screamers and much stronger physically. In about a month, the young kochet will calm down, recover from annoying, stupid clamor.
Why did the rooster stop crowing
You should not rejoice in the morning silence. If the habitual ku-ka-re-ku does not spread around the neighborhood, the owner of the chicken coop should be wary. The rooster stops crowing for various reasons. Because of some, you have to go to the veterinarian.
Plumage change
Poultry molts annually, and cochinings are no exception. During the change of the feather, physiological changes occur in the body. They affect the behavior of the bird. There is a change of plumage:
- natural;
- seasonal;
- juvenile.
Due to molting, the rooster is not replaced. After its completion, he continues to sing and perform his functions as an alpha male.
Depressive state
Like humans, poultry are also prone to depression. A young male can fall into it if his alpha male bites and does not allow singing. Signs of a depressive state:
- change in behavior (aggression, depression);
- loss of appetite;
- does not crow.
Depression occurs in the cockerel if the chickens do not let him near them. This happens when a new, recently purchased cochet is planted in the chicken coop.
Aging and breed characteristics
The old kochet's voice is not clear. Singing is more like wheezing. By about 4 years old, a cochet of any breed is killed. He becomes weak, tramples chickens less. Chickens hatch from the eggs he fertilized. The loudness depends on the breed. Calmer meat and egg varieties. The most loudmouth egg breeds.
Hormonal changes and diseases
Rooster crowing is not audible if there is an infection in the hen house. The most common diseases affecting the respiratory system of poultry:
- infectious bronchitis;
- colibacillosis;
- bronchopneumonia.
| Disease | Symptoms | Treatment | Eating meat |
| Infectious bronchitis | Lack of appetite | Not | Can |
| conjunctivitis | |||
| sneezing | |||
| hard breath | |||
| Colibacillosis | Heat | Yes | Yes |
| hard breath | |||
| poor appetite, constant thirst | |||
| diarrhea | |||
| Bronchopneumonia | Rapid breathing | Yes | Yes |
| wheezing | |||
| open beak | |||
| lethargy |
A sick bird can be identified by a pale crest.
It happens that, after recovering, he continues to be silent. This is because he has ceased to feel like an alpha male.
The male underwent hormonal changes due to illness. The harem doesn't interest him anymore. He no longer protects his territory from other roosters and predators. In such cases, the owner has to think about replacing it.
So that an infection does not start in the chicken coop, the room is treated with a disinfectant solution (Creolin-X) every 2-3 months, the walls are painted with lime, and the litter is changed. The bird is transferred to a balanced feed. Roosters sing especially loudly in a clean coop and with good care. The louder their singing, the better the chickens are rushing.
If a young kochet does not give voice for a long time, he is rejected. For laying hens, the poultry farmer leaves a rooster, which sings louder and louder than others. Vocal male actively tramples chickens, fertilizes eggs well. He does an excellent job of being a leader. Keeps order in the chicken coop, controls its territory.
