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What Time Do Roosters Crow?

Chicken keeping is becoming increasingly popular, but sadly roosters don’t always get to find a happy home because people worry that they will be too noisy to keep, especially if you have neighbours close by.

There’s quite a bit of misconception around roosters crowing, how loud it is and when they do it.

As a rooster keeper myself, I’ve got to know about their quirkiness along with their routines and the things which can trigger them to crow. So, I wanted to put together this post to let you know some facts on what to expect if you’re thinking about getting a rooster or raising chicks.

Roosters are known to crow at various points of the day but typically start crowing at dawn. This behavior, known as the “cock-a-doodle-doo,” can begin as early as 4 a.m. and continue intermittently throughout the day. Roosters crow to announce their territory and as a response to environmental stimuli, such as light changes, sounds, and movements.

Read on to find out more about how much crowing to expect from roosters along with information about roosters crowing at night and what can trigger it.

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Do Roosters Crow at Night?

One concern which potential rooster owners have is that roosters will crow at night because they worry that they will keep them or their neighbours awake at night.

When chickens go into roost at nightfall they generally stay still and sleep until dawn mainly because they can’t see in the dark. While it is more unusual for roosters crow at night, it isn’t unheard of especially if they hear something outside the coop which they think could be a threat.

It also depends on the individual rooster, some can be quite placid, whereas others are always alert and wired for danger or another rooster trying to muscle in on his girls.

We have a rooster at the moment who is 100% tough guy and out to do whatever it takes to watch over his girls and anything that gets in his way will know about it.

He does sometimes crow at night, however, we’ve only heard him when we’ve been near the coop because when it’s closed up its fairly muffled and quiet, even though his crow is pretty loud.

Image of a rooster amongst hens

Along with crowing at a sign of threat or because the rooster is being territorial, crowing at night could also just be down to the individual rooster’s body clock.

Patterns of crowing at night can also vary throughout the year as the days become longer and shorter, for example over winter if its dark from 4 pm until after 7 am, that can be a really long night for roosting chickens in comparison to short summer days.


How to Reduce the Sound of a Rooster Crowing During the Night

When a rooster crows at night in the coop when it’s all closed up it’s likely that the sound will be much quieter than it would be if the rooster was outdoors.

It’s also unlikely that you’ll hear a rooster through a coop and a closed double glazed bedroom window, however, problems can arise when it’s hot and people have their windows open at night, especially if you live in a built-up area.

Just like a room inside a house, a hen hut or coop can be soundproofed. This can help to reduce the sound of a rooster crowing at night or early in the morning before they’re let out for the day.

This article was first published on January 16, 2021 by Pentagon-Pets.

Here are some ideas you could use to reduce the sound of a crowing rooster while they’re inside the coop:

  • Keep a good layer of chicken safe bedding or straw on the coop floor.
  • Pad out the coop walls with an extra layer of wood composite sheets or even thick cardboard.
  • In large huts and sheds, straw bales make great insulation from sound and keep the hut warm.
  • Using flexible insulation which you can buy in roll form.
  • Pieces of carpet or an old rug over the top of the hut roof.
  • Insulate with carpet underlay.

It’s essential to make sure the coop still has good ventilation so clean air can get in, and stale air can get out and to make sure the chickens don’t overheat in hot weather. Ultimately a chickens well-being is more important than the noise they make.

Some double walled chicken coop are a good way to reduce noise check out our recommended coop below to see which one fits your needs.

Our recommended coop

Chicken coop for different flock sizes and different weather.

Click here to find out more about our recommended coop.


How Often do Roosters Crow?

How often a rooster crows depends on the rooster, the breed and also the situation it’s kept in, some crow very little whereas others will crow at regular intervals throughout the day, especially if they have more reason to be territorial.

Here are some reasons why a rooster might crow more regularly:

  • There’s someone or something within the roosters’ territory.
  • The rooster can hear another rooster crowing in the area.
  • It’s spotted the danger and is warning the rest of the flock.
  • To round up hens when they go wandering off.
  • It’s feeling threatened or trapped.

Our rooster crows a lot in the morning when he comes out of the coop and in the late afternoon. But because he free ranges he sees a lot of what he thinks are things to crow at such as dog walkers and delivery vans, literally anything sets him off.

If you’re wondering whether to get a rooster and you’re worried about the noise, it’s something to think carefully about because there’s no getting away from the fact they make noise. Some areas don’t allow you to keep roosters so that’s also something worth checking.

Crowing is in a roosters nature and they get a really bad deal because of it. There are so many unwanted roosters out there because of this reason, so they really need to be homed in the right place where the noise isn’t so much of an issue.

Pentagon Pet is the owner of this article that was first published on January 16, 2021.


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I hope this post has helped you to find out more about what time roosters crow if you’re thinking about getting a rooster or already have one, you might also find the following post useful:

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This article and its contents are owned by Pentagon Pets and was first published on January 16, 2021.

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