If you live in the countryside, there is a very good chance that you’ve heard a rooster crow before. It could happen at dawn when the roosters sense the dawn is coming and crow a few hours prior.
But, often time, you will also hear them crow at noon, at a random time whenever they feel like it, or even at night. There are still things to know about roosters’ crows. Why do roosters crow at night?
Read more: Can a rooster lay eggs?
Why do roosters crow at night?
Rooster crow at night for multiple reasons. They can be the roosters sensing dawn, sensing light, seeing the threat, or it is just their personal preferences.
Dawn is coming
Roosters may seemingly crow at night because they started crowing about 2 hours before the sun begins to rise. The sky will start to brighten at the horizon before the sun appears.
They can sense when those dawn lights are going to appear and start crowing accordingly. Also, it is believed that the coop’s most dominant rooster would crow before any other roosters.
Light
Light sources can also make the chickens think that dawn is coming. So they are exposed to bright light sources at night, for example from street lights, they may be confused and crow all night.
Threats
Your rooster naturally wants to protect their hens. One of the ways the rooster performs this task is by alerting any potential threats to the hens.
Crows serve 2 purposes when it comes to protecting the coop: it warms the hens to flee and look for cover from the predators; and warding off predators, letting them know that the rooster is protecting his flock.
So, if your roosters see the predators or even perceive the predators at night, they will start to crow. This sometimes requires the farmer to step in and provide some proper protection.
Personality
Sometimes, the roosters just crow because they want to. They may crow when another rooster crows. They may crow to communicate to their surroundings, including the hens. And some may crow louder than others.
So when you found out that your roosters simply enjoy crowing at night or at any random time, there isn’t much you can do to stop this behavior. But, there are some measures you can do to stop the sound.
How to stop roosters from crowing at night?
Roosters’ crowing can be troublesome and annoying in some situations, so it makes sense that some people may want to stop their roosters from crowing.
But, before you do anything, it is important that you take the time to learn about the roosters’ habit of crowing.
Eliminate the threat
Roosters will crow if they see or perceive threats approaching. So you should examine the area around your flock to see if there is any considered dangerous to your chickens.
Then, try to remove the threat to limit your roosters’ crowing.
Give the roosters what they need
Just like some indoor pets, your roosters can sometimes crow to let the owners know that food and water are needed. So make sure you provide your roosters enough food, water, comfort, and space.
Control the roosters’ behavior
Chickens are social animals. And some roosters will assert dominance over other chickens. Too many roosters can lead to this problem and even violence, so try to cut down the number of roosters to solve the issue.
Deal with the night time problems
You should examine thoroughly your roosters’ habits at night. Try not to let your roosters encounter nighttime threats or stimuli like street lights to make them less likely to crow.
Get a few no-crow collars for your chickens
If you have done everything possible but your roosters somehow still crowed, or you worry that the sound will be annoying to neighbors, you should consider buying some no-crow collars.
Don’t worry too much about the no-crow collars since they are breathable, safe, and comfortable so your roosters won’t mind about them too much.
The no-crow collars are very useful if you want to keep your roosters quiet so that you can keep them as pets in your home. There are lots of no-crow collars available right now, so do some research and get ones that do the job well.
A rooster crowingSome chicken breeds are quieter than others
If you decide to buy some chickens for raising or keeping them as pets at your home, this is something you should know. There are chicken breeds that are tamer and quieter than others.
If you like a tamer rooster, try to stay away from the Rhode Island Red roosters since they tend to be quite aggressive. Instead, you could get some breeds like the Silkie roosters since they are considered the tamest.
Also, keep in mind that the chicken breeds don’t fully decide if the rooster is tame and quiet or not.
The roosters’ personalities can vary from individual to individual, and there is no apparent way to tell if your roosters will be calm and quiet based on their breeds alone.
Conclusion
So, why do roosters crow at night? The roosters can crow day and night because of multiple factors, for example sensing dawn’s approach, sensing light sources, responding to the threat, asking for food and water, or just their personalities.
To limit your roosters’ crowing, you should first examine the roosters’ crowing behaviors. You can try eliminating the potential threats, give the roosters what they need, or limit the stimulus they encounter at night.
If the above solutions don’t work for you, you can consider getting some no-crow collars. They are safe, comfortable, and breathable to wear, and there are lots of products to choose from.
Also, from the beginning, you can get a chicken breed that is quieter and tamer so that it will be less likely to crow.