Something To Crow About

Most people, when they think of a rooster crowing, just think "Cock-a-Doodle-DOO."  Fact is that that many syllables in a crow is rare, and most people just don't know how different crows can be.  Another myth is that they only crow at dawn.  They crow any dang time they feel like it, even at night sometimes. 
Cow the Bantam Sultan is my most prolific--and annoying--crower.  His crow is shrill and grating.  He uses it every chance he gets.  I guess there's something to the "banty rooster syndrome" because he announces his presence every time something moves.

Cow the Bantam Sultan being annoying

Stewie's crow, on the other hand, is almost pleasant.  It's lower pitched and melodious.  It doesn't hurt either that Stewie the Rhode Island Red is a "talker."  He chuckles, he chortles, he clucks to his ladies.  He talks to me too, and his body language makes it pretty easy to tell what he's saying.  He crows fairly often, but when he does, I like to hear it.  He's got quite a range.

Stewie the Rhode Island Red displaying his magnificence

Then there's Trouble the Ameracauna.  He doesn't crow much (since he's a lower ranking roo) but his isn't bad.  He sounds like he's got a perpetual sore throat, but he's giving it his best shot.  Trouble will also play "I crow, you crow" for quite a while if you're up to it.

Trouble the Ameracauna giving it the old college try

I get the most chuckles out of Maki the Yokohama.  He's apparently settling in, and started to crow today (right outside my bedroom window).  His crow sounds like what you'd get if you stuck a kazoo in the end of a trumpet.  At first I DID think it was the kids with their kazoos imitating chickens.  He seems to go in spurts as the mood takes him--about 3 minutes of good solid crowing, then quiet for hours.  I'm still giggling.  So far, he's a closet crower.  If you go out and crow at him, he'll clam up, give you an indignant look, and cluck annoyedly (because OBVIOUSLY you interrupted his session).  Sorry, I just can't seem to get a pic of him when he kazoos, er, I mean crows.

One of my treasured sights was going out to the coop on a really cold morning, and watching Stewie crow.  Mind you, when a rooster crows, it looks like they're bringing it up from their toes and devoting all of their life force to making that noise.  So there Stewie went, and let loose a crow.  His beak was open, his body was tense, his neck was stretched up, and I could see the steam coming out of his throat as he greeted the day.  When he finished, he shook out his feathers and all was well with the world.  Watching him, I even forgot that it was cold.

Chickens have their own "voices" like we do.  Wild birds do too.  Whenever you hear birdsong or crowing, or clucking, take the time to realize that you're "meeting" that particular bird.  Some of them might get on your nerves, but hey, some people do too.  You just deal with it and appreciate those voices that touch you.  You never know how pleasant a voice can be until you get to know it.