How do roosters determine when to sing in the morning? Why do roosters crow: reasons depending on different times of the day Why does a rooster crow

Many breeders of chickens, villagers and people who visit countryside, rooster cries woke up more than once, they are also heard at other times of the day. Etymologists have found out that the rooster crows for a reason, it is its territorial acoustic, or sound, signal.

Without sounds, birds will not be able to communicate with each other. In nature, there is a great variety of sounds, especially wild chickens, whose habitat is thickets of shrubs with a limited outlook, are especially distinguished by their roll calls.

A crowing is audible to the human ear if the rooster is two kilometers away. This sound is single and long, at a high frequency. How much a male chicken crowed depends on the circumstances and the purpose of the call. If the cockerel has found food, he will begin to make repeated calls that serve as a call for the hens.

The most effective thing is when the rooster gives a loud high-pitched signal for a long time. The same cock male always pronounces the crowing in almost the same way, with deviations of no more than half a tone.

Scientists have long figured out why a rooster crows loudly, and what about when another chicken male, or several, is nearby. The sound made may be a challenge, and the brethren who are in the same rank as the rooster are called to it in response. When a subordinate cockerel of the lowest rank raises a cry in his yard, the dominant male attacks the one who dared to raise his voice, he does not give a sound answer.

Rooster calls

Why does a rooster crow, if its brother is at an impressive distance from him, and the males do not see each other, it becomes clear if you understand the natural evolutionary factors. As usual, the rooster has its own “chicken harem”, and the bird group lives in one area. Birds zealously protect their food, rest and sleep from strangers, including from their own kind.

An aggressive attitude helps populations to spread, develop new habitats, and also eliminates overpopulation. Although the brutality of fighting with mutilation or death can harm the entire species, the number of birds is declining, even more so if male producers die. Thus, the reason why male chickens crow is simple, they need to protect their territories, seize and develop new ones, but roosters use harmless ways of settling, crying is an intimidating maneuver.

Crowing, the male sends a warning to the rival about the occupation of the given yard and an offer to look for another place. A serious fight between rivals can only begin when everything nearby is already populated. The rooster, the strongest physically and psychologically, wins, and it will continue the genus, which will lead to the prosperity of the species, a progressive turn will occur evolutionarily, but this was more typical of the wild ancestors of modern chickens. The domestication of roosters was due to their vociferousness.

Poultry is more controlled by a person, although the chickens have not forgotten the form of territorial behavior, and the male always reminds the neighboring roosters that the yard and chicken coop are his territory. The roosters also sing loudly after a love affair with a chicken.

morning call

Etymologists also find out why roosters crow in the morning. There is a version that the owner of the yard is eager to declare his rights already from waking up. He can periodically voice warnings to opponents throughout the day and evening.

Like all living things, chickens have biological circadian rhythms. Therefore, the male bird begins its singing trills in the morning, at a certain period of time. Moreover, until the cock leading the herd crowed, others are silent, waiting for him. The rooster often crows during the day to mark its territory, either by “flirting” with females, or to call its “harem” for food, for walks. For peasants, cockerels often served as living alarm clocks. It also happens that a rooster crows loudly at night, scientists are still working on this phenomenon.

Tip: An external stimulus, such as light or change temperature regime, also lead to the rapid awakening of the bird.

Age, appearance of a loud voice

At what age roosters begin to crow, today it is only approximately determined. Babies under two months of age cannot make loud sounds, and are still squeaking. Young cockerels at two and a half months old try their hand at crowing, but it turns out to be somewhat ridiculous. There are individuals who began to master the loud call at 3 months of age, which is already quite good. Most male chickens learn to fully crow at four or five months of age. Often a young rooster crows constantly for several days, not even half an hour passes. Gradually, the frequency of the cry passes. Six-month-old youngsters are already crying with might and main.

Tip: Undertakings are influenced by the breed, the conditions in which the birds live. Well-groomed males begin to sing earlier than not very well-groomed, rather weak and skinny counterparts.

Why can't they sing?

It happens that the rooster does not crow. Then you need to deal with his state of health. The bird may be silent due to airway complications. Signs of the disease are also a pale scallop, shortness of breath. You will need to see a veterinarian, possibly antibiotic treatment.

After the illness, the bird may also stop singing for a while. If the changes affect the hormonal background, the male may not feel like a leader in protecting the territory, does not trample the hens, although the rest of the behavior is normal.

If roosters interfere with sleep

Chicken males sometimes sing at night, at one, two and four early in the morning. Until they came up with effective way how to make a rooster not crow, especially at night. Some zoologists experimented by keeping the birds in a dark room for more than one day, but the singing schedule was still not violated. It is not always possible to change nature. Therefore, if roosters sing in your own or neighboring area, it remains to enjoy the beautiful iridescent sound.

Tip: Thickening the walls in the chicken coop will help muffle the bird's cry.

The rooster is one of the most popular domestic animals. The novice farmer will useful information about its habitat, feeding habits, reproduction. Few people know that there are a huge number of types of roosters, and with regards to some there are heated discussions. Well, scientists do not know whether to consider this particular bird a rooster or classify it with other species. The article will consider which bird can be considered a rooster, the lifestyle of this animal: habits, nutrition.

Who is a rooster

The rooster is a solid bird. Everyone knows this. If it weren't for him, the chickens wouldn't have multiplied, and people wouldn't be able to enjoy steaks or legs cooked on the grill. Some are interested in whether the rooster is an animal or a bird. In general, such a statement is fundamentally wrong. An animal can be any living organism that has the following features:

• They feed on plants and other animals. Of course, there are some types of plants that feed on insects, but these are only rare exceptions.
• Lack of fiber.
• Growth up to a certain limit.

Who is a rooster

Well, the most important difference between animals and other organisms is the ability to move around the planet. The rooster falls under all these signs, like any other bird.

What does a rooster look like? Appearance may vary: have different amount fingers, coloring, appearance beak, comb size. Habits also differ different types. Some are herbivores, others eat worms and meat.

The appearance of males is very well described in comparison with chickens. The first is characterized by bright coloring, more beautiful plumage, as well as a long bushy tail. Also, the rooster can be recognized by the pointed feathers on the neck and back. And they are often compared with cowboys due to boots with spurs. Adults have a crest and a kind of "beard".

The first birds were tamed for cockfighting in Asia, Europe and Africa. As food product they began to be used in India. They were tamed a long time ago, even 5000 years ago. Then it was not yet roosters in the form in which they are accustomed to seeing. It was an Indian wild chicken. Only nobles could own this animal. Cock-fights were a popular pastime in various ancient countries: India, China, Persia, Babylon, Greece.

Especially against the general background, English breeds of chickens and, accordingly, roosters stand out. This is primarily a fighting breed due to its aggressiveness.

English rooster

Lifespan

IN wild nature chickens can live an average of 13 years. But with proper care at home, the life expectancy of birds can reach 30 years. In practice, this rarely happens, since everyone makes mistakes in care, and the bird itself can be genetically weak or raised in conditions that contribute to the occurrence of diseases.

It also depends on the purpose of raising roosters. As a rule, this is a continuation of the genus of chickens. Therefore, roosters live as long as the period of active fertilization lasts. On average it is 4 years. As soon as the rooster becomes a weak male, he is sent along with the hens for slaughter. Well, after all, there is nowhere to put it, such a useless one, but it will be useful anyway. Normally, 1 male should fertilize 10 females.

Note! How many years roosters live depends on the quality of nutrition, the temperature in the hen house and many other factors (a skilled poultry farmer should prevent fights between roosters, as they negatively affect the psyche of animals).

Why do roosters crow in the morning

Many are interested in how a rooster crows. In fact, this is a familiar "crow". And in different countries hear completely different things. This is probably why birds do not understand people when they try to portray the voice of a rooster.

The reason the rooster crows in the morning has to do with the hierarchy of animals. The proud alpha male makes the first sound early in the morning, and then the low-ranking individuals. Thus, places in the hierarchy are distributed among the roosters. In addition, crowing is a way to mark territory and warn enemies that they will not be in trouble if they decide to be intruders.

Why do roosters crow in the morning

What time do roosters start crowing? The time when they make the first sounds is determined by the biological clock of birds. The first roosters begin to sing at 1.00, the second - at 2.00, and the third - at 4.00. But depending on the conditions and biological features specific cock time may vary. The researchers also noticed that the timing of a rooster's crowing is related to the position of the stars in the sky. So, the first roosters begin to sing when the star Canopus appears above the horizon, and when it disappears, they stop. Third roosters often coincide with dawn.

The question is, why do people need to know what time the roosters crow? And the explanation is very simple. In the village, when there were no clocks yet, it was one of the landmarks when to go on the road (waiting for the first roosters was considered a good omen), the second ones were often a signal to go milk the cows. Well, the third is a sign that you need to get up and get ready for everyday work. In general, like a rustic alarm clock. As the bird crows, it is immediately clear what time it is.

For your information! Few people know that a rooster can also cackle like a chicken, and they do it to call their "girlfriend" to eat.

The structure of the rooster

By the way, few people know that bettas are able to fly. Well, at least their skeleton is in many ways similar to other birds endowed with this ability. Only 10% of the mass is bones that are hollow inside. In the skeleton of males, there is no medullary bone, which is involved in the formation of the shell around the egg. They just do it rarely and ineptly.

The skeleton of a rooster is divided into 3 parts: head, torso and limbs. The head is very small, and therefore, against the background of the rest of the body, it looks very funny. The skull is made up of 10 bones. The cervical spine consists of 13-14 vertebrae.

The structure of the rooster

The wings are the front limbs of the bird, the lower ones are the paws. Normally, a male should have 4 toes on each foot. There is also something like a fifth finger - a spur. In fact, this is a horny process, which is not always based on bones. If the rooster has more fingers, then this may be a sign of a genetic disorder (for example, caused by closely related relationships). In this case, there may be 6 fingers. And on different legs there can be a different number of them.

For your information! Normally, the male should have 78 chromosomes: the rooster has an XX set, and the females have XY. In humans, it's the other way around.

• There is a completely black breed of rooster called Ayam Chemani. There is a gene in their genome that causes excessive pigmentation. Moreover, it is dominant, that is, it is constantly transmitted with 100% probability. It is interesting that these black birds are not only outside. Their bones internal organs also the colors of the night. Even the blood is considerably darker than in other breeds.
• They have their own language. However, like chickens. It seems to people that these are meaningless clicks or clucks, but in fact, scientists have already been able to isolate 30 sounds with different values. For example, a hen may report that she will lay an egg or signal her relatives about in large numbers worms.
• Able to empathize with other birds. It has also been proven that birds away from the group experience sadness.
• Very smart, as they are able to remember up to 100 faces and how this character relates to them. Birds make decisions based on experience. They can also be taught arithmetic.
• Together with chickens, they are direct descendants of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Surprising considering that it was one of the most large predators that have ever existed on our planet.
• Dream books describe the meaning of a dream in which a person lost a rooster. This suggests that he avoided a possible meeting with an unpleasant type, a competitor. This is if a man. If a woman had a dream where the feathered one disappeared, then she may have lost a fan. There are also recommendations in case you had a dream about a rooster. For example, if you hear his cry, you need to take a decisive step in order not to miss the opportunity that now exists.

Bonus fact: the largest rooster in the world was bred by breeders. Height is 91 cm and weight is 11 kg. This is an ideal breed because it gives a lot of tasty meat.

FAQ

The questions about lifespan and the cry of a bird described above are not the only ones that are of interest to Internet users. If there are others:

What to do so that the bird does not scream

There are several proven ways to silence a bird, or at least be quieter:

• For the time when a person is sleeping, place the male in a dark limited space, but into which air can freely enter. It will not cause mental disorders of the animal. At the same time, it is worth remembering that it is impossible to abruptly release a rooster into the world, since in this case stress cannot be avoided. If the poultry farmer has several roosters, then it is enough to place the alpha male in a dark room.
• The second method is much more complicated and less efficient. It is necessary to make a collar with a thickness greater than the diameter of the bird's neck from a fabric tape with Velcro. They should be wrapped around the neck and fastened with Velcro. The bird will still crow, but quieter. She won't be able to breathe enough air to scream.

Why doesn't a rooster crow and trample chickens

If this bird stopped singing, it means serious problems. The reasons for the silence of the animal are as follows:

• respiratory diseases;
• molting;
• changes in the hormonal background;
• aging.

Important! Link is the only reason, which should not cause alarm in the owner.

Often the reason that the rooster does not crow is infectious bronchitis. This is a disease that is caused by a virus that can easily move from one chicken coop to another. The mortality rate is 65%, and there are no treatments. The meat of an infected bird is not dangerous to humans, but if at least one rooster showed symptoms of the disease (cough, difficulty breathing, nasal discharge, loss of appetite and diarrhea), then the chicken coop is quarantined to avoid the extinction of other birds.

Other respiratory diseases are also possible. For example, with infectious laryngotracheitis, the rooster will wheeze.

And what if the rooster does not trample the hens? If the bird is young, then you just need to wait. Normally, the male begins to show interest in females at 24-26 weeks of age. But the first attempts of the young will be unsuccessful, you should not be afraid of this. Learn more. If the male is an adult, then there may be other reasons:

• The females do not allow the male to approach them. This happens especially often if the male was bought recently and has not yet managed to gain authority among relatives. In this case, it must be put in a cage, and then one of the chickens should be planted separately to it. After a while you will get used to it, and the problem will be solved.
• It often happens that a person does not notice how a rooster tramples chickens. You should wait a few weeks, and then check the eggs with an ovoscope. If they are fertilized, then the rooster copes with its duties.

And another reason - the male is a hermaphrodite. It's unlikely, but it does happen sometimes. To check this, it is worth observing the behavior of the bird. If, after crowing, he tries to climb into the nest, then all that remains to be done is to send him to the soup. This is the only benefit that such a creature can bring.

The rooster tramples the chicken

How to cut a rooster's claws

Nail clipping is not always necessary. Usually they sharpen themselves, but if this does not happen, then a person will have to perform this procedure. This should be done carefully, after fixing the bird with a rag or towel. It is recommended to cut nails with guillotine tongs for cats or dogs. At the same time, care should be taken not to damage the vessels that are visible through the lumen.

Rooster (cockerel) is a useful bird in the household. The article dealt with questions of interest to the average poultry farmer related to male chickens, such as structure, life expectancy, some problems that animals may have, and whether they are animals at all. After reviewing the information, farmers will no longer have questions and problems in caring for this important bird.

Thanks to fairy tales, riddles, songs, we from the very early childhood We know how a rooster crows. This bird is important in Russian folk culture. It is present in the epic, in ancient illustrations and other works of art. But why does the rooster crow? Why this unusual ritual? In the article we will consider several versions, even the most unusual ones.

Biological explanation

The very first thing that comes to mind is that a rooster crows to designate itself as a flock and guardian of territory. But first things first:

• The rooster is the leader of the chicken flock. With his crowing, the male makes it clear that the chickens around him are his females. And no one dares to encroach on them.
• The rooster is the owner of the territory. The male crows, thus warning that the surrounding territory belongs to him, and no other cockerel should be on it, otherwise he will not be greeted.
• Roll call. With his crowing, the rooster checks whether all his wards are in place. The male crows, and the hens respond by clucking.
• Competition in charisma. Roosters can sing not one at a time, but a whole flock. They arrange "competitions" in the volume and color of the voice.

Poultry farmers have long known that the better and louder the rooster gives a voice, the stronger it is in terms of the reproduction of offspring. For the first time males begin to try voice at the age of about three months. During this period, poultry farmers are closely watching. Males who do not want to sing are subject to culling, as they are not able to reproduce good offspring.

Why does a rooster crow at different times of the day?

Roosters sing their songs different time days since it has different meaning. Scientists conducted an experiment: they kept roosters in complete darkness for several days. And still they crowed, at the same time.

Evening. In the evening, crowing sounds much less frequent and calmer. This is a signal that you need to gather in a flock, sit on the perches and get ready for.

Night. A rooster can crow around three in the morning. These are the so-called "first roosters". If a rooster worries during the night, often crows, perhaps his flock is in danger.

Constantly. It happens that a cockerel crows all the time without apparent reason. This can happen both during the day and at night. Poultry farmers believe that he is bored, there are few chickens in his "harem". Village roosters have salient feature: they yell all together. One starts - and the "wave" went through the village.

It also happens that something bothers the rooster, so he crows all the time. This feature greatly spoils the life of the bird owners, since the unbearable “crowing” is very annoying.

Legends, tales, beliefs

The cult of roosters is first mentioned in ancient india. Among the Indian people, this bird was a sacred animal, therefore it was forbidden to eat its meat. Hindus believed the rooster is a messenger supreme gods to the ground. He was sent to herald the rising of the sun and the beginning of a new day. Hindus believed: if the sacred rooster in the temple does not crow, dawn will not come. The sacred bird was pampered in every possible way, excellently fed, decorated with jewels.

IN Holy Quran there is also a mention of the crowing of a rooster. The hadeeth of the Messenger of Allah says: “When you hear a rooster crow, then ask Allah Almighty for mercy and goodness, for the rooster saw an angel”(that is, it was believed that a rooster crows every time it sees an angel).

In the Mongolian epic there is a slightly fabulous explanation. A long time ago, a rooster had a gorgeous tail extraordinary beauty. Everyone stared at him as if he were a miracle. The peacock was jealous of such beauty, and wanted to have the same decoration. One day, he approached the rooster and said: “I'm going to the holiday. Would you lend me a tail for a day". The rooster was kind and agreed. The peacock took the tail and never returned it. Since then, every morning the unfortunate rooster cries: "Ku-ka-re-ku!". What does it mean: "Bring back the tail!"

Of course, folk tales are unlikely to explain true reason crowing of roosters. But it's so interesting to study history different peoples and compare them with each other.

Signs and superstitions

There are many signs about a crowing rooster that promise both good and evil. Let's recall the most interesting of them.

• If a red or red rooster crows loudly and worries in the middle of the day, someone will have a fire in the house. You need to be more careful about the stove and look after small children.
• If the chicken sang like a rooster, there will be a big trouble. Grief will happen not only in the house where it happened a rare event, but in the entire village.
• If a rooster crowed between dusk and midnight, it was believed that he was luring someone out of the house to do evil. The owners did not leave the house, but threw smoldering coal through the window.
• The cry of a rooster at midnight is the news of someone.
• If a rooster crowed on the threshold - to the long-awaited guests; if he sang at the back door, a stranger or an uninvited guest will visit the house.
• Crowing at dusk - to bad weather, to the rain.
• When a black rooster crows, it drives away evil spirits.

Signs appear as a result of many years of observation. Representatives of the Slavic culture are sensitive to superstitions, so they have survived to this day.

Scientists have recently become interested in the causes of roosters crowing. As a result of the research, it was possible to establish interesting facts:

• The voice of the rooster is individual. This is the "identity card" of the bird.
• The better the vocal ability, the better the rooster will perform the duties of fertilizing the hens.
• The rooster sings at the same time, relying on its own biological clock, regardless of the time of day.
• The crowing of a rooster has an emotional connotation and meaning. Scientists have counted more than 30 variants of cock singing.

Why is the cock crowing anyway? This topic can be long and tedious to argue. But the main thing is that the chickens understand their leader, and the rivals are afraid.

The scientific explanation of the phenomenon of cock singing is based on a territorial basis. The alpha male crows, notifying potential rivals that he is the master in this area and should not be disturbed. Other available conclusions are based on the observations and experience of chicken farm owners and are conjectural in nature, as they fit a number of special cases, but do not fully explain the behavior of the bird.

When do they sing?

It has been proven that a rooster crows in the following cases:

• when "unauthorized" intrusion into the territory of an open range or into the premises of a chicken coop of strangers ( strangers, wild or domestic animals and birds);
• on the eve of upcoming weather changes;
• at dawn.

The male has in his "vocabulary" many other sounds that he uses in order to:

• warn chickens and offspring about the danger;
• invite them to share a meal;
• to pull up the "insolent", from his point of view, fellow tribesmen.

But these messages are ignored by people, as they are significantly inferior in pressure and volume to crowing.

Constant screams

Some especially zealous individuals can crow around the clock with short breaks for food and sleep. This behavior can only be explained by some deviations. genetic code. Experienced poultry farmers believe that these manifestations may be the result of breed costs.

It was noticed that on the territory of our country, most often rampant screamers are found among breeds derived from the Yurlov vociferous (the second part of the name explains everything), such as:

• Zagorskaya salmon;
• Moscow black;
• adler silver;
• May Day.

Comparative analysis of meat and egg-bearing breeds' propensity to kurekan showed that the "leadership" belongs to the latter.

How to reduce the voice activity of a rooster

There are several effective methods to get the bird to behave more quietly:

1. 1. If the rooster constantly screams at night or wakes up the owners too early in the morning, you can try to place it at this time of day in a dark room with limited but sufficient space for air to enter. This will moderate the ardor of the feathered one, without affecting the behavior in general. It is important to remember that subsequently releasing it into bright light is required gradually, a sharp transition can cause stress in the bird.
2. 2. There is a strict hierarchy in the chicken coop. In the presence of several males, seniority belongs to only one. The alpha male takes precedence in mating and feeding sound signal. During the morning roll call, the rest of the roosters have the right to vote only after the leader. Any encroachment on the authority of the alpha male is severely suppressed. If you put an older and physically more powerful rooster in a chicken coop with a frantic screamer, the problem will be solved very quickly.
3. 3. Another way to make the male quieter is to make a collar from a piece of fabric tape with Velcro. For these purposes, an element with a double-sided working surface is suitable. A piece larger than the diameter of the bird's neck is cut off. The plumage at the withers rises. The collar freely wraps around the neck and fastens with Velcro. The effect is that the rooster will not be able to draw in enough air for a loud cry. He crows, but quietly, in a whisper.

Beginning poultry keepers should keep in mind that roosters from the same brood behave much calmer. They have almost no sense of competition. They fight and scream much less than individuals of different tribes.

Japanese scientists conducted a study in which it turned out that roosters crow in accordance with the position in the hierarchy: the alpha male has the right to announce the first morning, followed by subordinate individuals.

At other times of the day, roosters can warn the flock of danger (for example, about an approaching predator) with a loud “koo-ka-re-ku”.

Why does a rooster crow in the morning?

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

1. 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 predatory animals, so the birds crowed at dawn.
2. Crowing refers to the territorial acoustic signals, this is a challenge to other chickens in the flock. One starts to shout, others answer.

At what age do roosters start crowing

Chickens up to two months of age cannot make loud sounds, they only squeak. From the age of three months, young cockerels try their hand at crowing, but this turns out to be ridiculous.

Roosters begin to master the loud chicken cry from the age of four months. Some breeds may start crowing much later.

How to make a rooster silent?

Attention! It is impossible to wean a rooster to crow. If his screaming is annoying, choose a more silent breed. But even they demonstrate a sonorous 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 barn, put a feeder with grain, beans or other food.