Why is My Rooster Not Crowing?

Besides a standout comb, roosters like crowing, making the trademark cock-a-doodle-doo sound. Typically, they make this sound a few hours before daybreak, just as you get out of deep sleep. During the day, they do it to mark territory and show dominance over their peers.

Some people love crowing roosters, while others find them annoying because they’d like to sleep for a few more hours.

5 Reasons Your Rooster is Not Crowing

However, your rooster might stop crowing without notice. What’s the cause of this unexpected issue? Read on to discover why your roosters go silent.

– Rooster It’s Too Young

If your rooster is silent, it may be because of its age. On average, cockerels start crowing eight to ten weeks after hatching. That said, some start it earlier while others are late.

In most cases, first-timers crow infrequently, and the sounds are nothing like the mature birds’. A young cockerel crows in a shrill voice and is likely to scare itself and other chickens. You might have to wait a month before the bird starts crowing like a mature cockerel.

– Rooster is Sick

When your rooster falls sick, it’s less likely to crow. However, the silence isn’t a result of the fear of predatory attacks.

Crowing requires a lot of energy. When sick, the chicken’s body diverts this energy to fight the bacterial or viral infection. Therefore, silence helps with recovery.

Additionally, crowing draws attention to a cockerel. If other makes in the flock notice that their leader is infirm, they will likely reorganize the pecking order to their advantage. Thus, silence is an intelligent means of maintaining the status quo of the leadership.

Hens, especially the older ones, can abandon a cockerel if they notice a poorer cock-a-doodle-doo sound. Keeping it shut helps sick males keep their mates.

– Rooster Has Lack of Dominance

Roosters proclaim their territory through crowing, as chickens have excellent hearing. If you have many cockerels, you’ll notice that they take turns crowing. More than often, it’s the most dominant bird that crows last, especially near dawn. It’s as if he has the final word on the flock.

On the contrary, inferior birds rarely crow. If your bird isn’t too young, sick, or injured, it’s probably fearful and has an inferiority complex. Unfortunately, there’s nothing much you can do about it.

– Rooster is Bullied

In coops where the alpha male and his lieutenants are overly aggressive, young and weak cockerels are usually subject to bullying and harassment. If the harsh treatment persists, the affected bird might resort to silence for its sake.

The most apparent signs of bullying are injuries, mostly on the head. This is because dominant males like pecking frail birds. If you notice this, move the affected chickens to a new coop.

– Rooster is Injured

Lastly, a rooster can go silent when it gets severe injuries. Notably, the injuries mustn’t be on the throat, vocal box, or any other part that contributes to noisemaking.

An injured cockerel stays mum to protect itself against predators. The bird knows that its condition doesn’t allow it to defend against hawks, foxes, and other animals that prey on chickens. Also, the silence means that it doesn’t draw the attention of predators to the hens and chicks in its flock.

How to Care for a Rooster That Doesn’t Crow?

You shouldn’t take a silent rooster lightly. The underlying cause might be more severe than a feeling of inferiority.

If your cockerel is silent, check for injuries. They might be a result of bullying or other issues. The solution to bullying is moving the bird to another section of the coop, away from the aggressive alphas. The dominant makes can deny the chicken food, causing malnutrition and eventual death. If it’s another injury type, seclude the chicken and treat it according to your vet’s instructions.

Secondly, look at the chicken’s behavior. If it’s lethargic or restless, it could be sick. Remember to check its droppings for blood, mucus, and looseness. These are disease symptoms that call for immediate treatment. Other signs of sickness include rattled breath, inactivity, and vomiting.

Ensure that your chickens eat a balanced diet of greens, good protein, and fats. Also, provide plenty of clean water and keep the coop tidy. These measures keep your cockerels healthy and ensure that they grow.

How to Control Crowing in Rooster?

As mentioned earlier, some people find crowing roosters annoying. Here are some clever ways to regulate crowing.

– Check the Numbers

The best way of keeping your roosters silent is to own one. It won’t make noise often since it doesn’t have to show dominance or mark its territory. If you have many cockerels, transfer each to its coop.

– Add More Hens

Sometimes, roosters crow to express dissatisfaction with a low number of hens. If that’s the case, consider adding more hens to your flock.

– Modify the Environment

Chickens are reasonably intelligent and often crow when bored. You can prevent this by adding items that pique interest to their coop. Ensure that the items are non-hazardous. For instance, a tennis ball is interesting and too large for a chicken to swallow. Please avoid sharp objects because they can kill your birds if ingested.

– Trick the Birds

Chickens like crowing just before daybreak, when the sun starts rising. If you’re not a morning person, add an artificial light source to your chickens’ coop. This tricks their body clock into thinking it’s daytime when it’s dark outside. As a result, they won’t wake you up until you get enough sleep.

– Buy a Rooster Collar

The most effective way of curbing crowing is to buy a rooster collar. It restricts the airway to the bird’s vocal cords, making crows inaudible. However, ensure that the collar isn’t so tight that it chokes the bird.

Conclusion

Whether you like it or find it annoying, crowing is a natural instinct that shows that your rooster is healthy. Use the guide mentioned above to establish why your cockerel is silent and take appropriate actions.

If your cockerel is too loud, you can also use the regulatory tips in this article. Remember to be careful with the collar because it can hurt your chicken if it’s too tight.