# My rooster crows during the night...



## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

I'm pretty sure it's my cochin roo. I heard him at 3:30 in the morning, or sometimes alittle later, maybe 4:30.
Is that normal...I thought they sleep when it's still dark?


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

They crow whenever they feel like it, which is pretty much whenever they're awake and not looking for food. If they have something to occupy themselves (food/hens) then they're not crowing much, but on the roost? They crow. 

It's perfectly normal.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

It is a full moon - ish.. that makes it worse, but they crow whenever..


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

My rooster (RIP Randy) always crowed at 4:30 a.m. We could have set a clock he was so regular. 

Farmers used to get up when the rooster crowed and go to bed when the sun went down. My Daddy always did.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Old farmer stories always talk about them crowing somewhere near dawn and never at night. I wonder if somehow that proper crowing instinct has been bred out of them, much like going broody or good rooster behavior has been bred out in favor of egg production and grain-to-meat conversion.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

The time between midnight and 3 am was once called "cock crow".


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Hrm. That's interesting.

What's your reference for that? Old English? Germany? What time period?


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

my chicken coop us close to one of the big lights people put up on utility poles, my 8 roosters crow litterally ALL night, they dont wait for no stinking 3am. or even 12am, they crow almost as soon as they go to bed at night,


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Ernie said:


> Hrm. That's interesting.
> 
> What's your reference for that? Old English? Germany? What time period?


Actually, the footnotes in my Bible in reference to the "third watch of the night" being called "cock crow" by the Roman soldiers.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

My roosters crow at any time at all during the night.
I heard them at 10, 12:30 ish and then at around 1:30.. last night
I have heard them from 3 on as well on other nights...


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Interesting indeed! Yeah, I found some references based on that to the Hebrews dividing up the night into four watches, the third watch being called "Cock Crowing" and preceeding the dawn watch.

I guess that puts paid to any thoughts of whether or not manipulative breeding has messed up the rooster's internal clock. They've apparently been doing it for a lot longer than modern agricultural methods have been around.


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

I used to have a rooster that, after dark, would crow anytime I turned the kitchen light on. His pen was right outside my kitchen window and it never failed....10pm, midnight, 4am, whenever. If the kitchen light went on, he would crow.


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

I've come to the conclusion that roos will crow *any time* except during and just after.  I could be wrong but so far this is my observation.


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

3 quarts water 
1 3-4 pound chicken cut up 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 small onion sliced 
2 stalks celery, chopped 
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered 
1 bay leaf 
4-6 whole parsley leaves 
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Dumplings 

2 cups all purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt 
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk 

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third. 

2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum. You only want the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out. 

3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this. Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings. 

4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness. 

5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often. 

6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones. Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end. 

7. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot. Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

deaconjim said:


> 1 3-4 pound chicken cut up


I have 3 suitable for your recipe but don't know quite how to get to the "cut up" part from a breathing creature. However. if that EE roo flogs me again, he may be a moot point; I'll figure it out.


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## columbiasc (Sep 4, 2009)

ours are quiet right now it's 10:45pm but the roos will crow on and off before long.


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## egg head (Nov 11, 2009)

Our roosters crow all the time at night, the neighbor tells us. Our roosters are about three hundred yards away from us and that is a good place for them. The neighbors don't care there dogs bark all night and I don't care. None of us care about excess noise and you think rooster's make noise, you should hear twenty cows for three days after you have taken their babies away, that is a ruckus.


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

my neighbor has told me that she can hear my rooster. But she complains about everything so didnt put much stock in it since the coop is closer to my house than hers.
But last night he started crowing from 3 am to 5 am. I dont want to eat him he is a good rooster for the most part but dang when I am falling asleep at work? Normally his crowing doesnt bother me but last night it was loud and it was long. Time to shut the heat lamp off (its a red light).?


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Our one and only roo crows all the time, day and night, very loudly. He's got 15 hens to keep him busy, so he shouldn't be crowing at all! :shrug: 
Once the windows are opened for the summer, he may become chicken dumplings - thanks Deacon Jim!


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

AW....I wouldn't eat him just for crowing. In fact, none of my chickens ever get eaten.


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

Even if they happen to see a cars headlights coming up the hilll.they will crow. lucky else.


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## mommathea (May 27, 2009)

egg head said:


> Our roosters crow all the time at night, the neighbor tells us. Our roosters are about three hundred yards away from us and that is a good place for them. The neighbors don't care there dogs bark all night and I don't care. None of us care about excess noise and you think rooster's make noise, you should hear twenty cows for three days after you have taken their babies away, that is a ruckus.


:hysterical: 
One time we went camping along a river in south central MO, and it just happened that just across the river was grazing land and they had just taken the calves away. I don't think anyone slept those 3 days. There were quite a few campers who left the campground then next morning and most of the tags said that they were reserved for the whole week.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

I had no idea they crowed all night until I got some.I personally can't eat what I have raised here..but I do give them away for others to eat. Have 2 roo's left and between them pooing all over the carport(and vehicles in there) and the crowing..they will be gone as well.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

wintrrwolf said:


> my neighbor has told me that she can hear my rooster. But she complains about everything so didnt put much stock in it since the coop is closer to my house than hers.
> But last night he started crowing from 3 am to 5 am. I dont want to eat him he is a good rooster for the most part but dang when I am falling asleep at work? Normally his crowing doesnt bother me but last night it was loud and it was long. Time to shut the heat lamp off (its a red light).?


All my neighbors can hear my roosters. A carton of eggs on their doorsteps from time to time makes sure they always ask how the chickens are doing as opposed to complaining about the roosters.

Most of us ain't lucky enough to live surrounded by people who share our lifestyles and belief system. We've got to provide a little grease for the squeaky wheels from time to time.

Killing a good rooster ain't in the list of options.


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