The rooster is often portrayed as crowing at the break of dawn (cock a doodle doo.) However this is more romantic than real, as roosters will crow all day. Different roosters will have different crowing tendencies, so while one rooster may crow constantly, the other may only crow once in a while.
Purpose[]
Crowing is often a territorial thing; alerting other roosters in the area know of their presence. Other crows and clucks are used to let the flock know that the sun is up, that he has found some food, it is time to roost, or that a potential predator has been spotted. In the middle of the night they will sometimes crow after they have been disturbed in sleep and have woken up sufficiently. Roosters can also cluck, like the hens.
Frequent/Seldom Crowing[]
Some roosters will crow frequently, others will crow seldom. This is determined by many factors, including breed, hormones, age, and how many other roosters are in the area. For example, game birds such as Old English Game will crow more often than ornamental birds such as Polish. Cocks who have just reached maturity will also crow more often due to increases in hormones. As the hormones begin to die down (after about 10-15 weeks), the crowing will usually slow as well. If there are other roosters nearby, the need to protect their territory will be stronger.
When Crowing will Usually Start[]
Most roosters start crowing around 4 months of age, however some breeds such as the Fayoumi will start crowing as early as 5 weeks. Silkies will often start around 6-7 months. Barred Rocks will start to crow around 2-3 months.
Hens Crowing[]
Occasionally, if a rooster is not present in the flock or if the rooster is too young, a hen will take over the role. She may develop spurs, begin to crow, the hackles, saddle feathers, and tail feathers will grow longer, and stop laying eggs (she will still not be able to fertilize eggs however). This is very unusual, and the only solution is to add a proper rooster to the flock.