do roosters cluck like hens?

[Kuntry Klucker]

my rooster is bocking and clucking like a hen. right now all we have is him till we get our
pen completed and then we will get some hens. is that normal for a rooster to do that.
this is the first time i have ever heard him do that. we have had him for 3 days and are
very new to the chicken hobby.

 

[gritsar]

Yes they do. I read an interesting article on roosters last year that said they have over 50 different vocalizations; most having to do with predator warnings. They have a different vocalization for each type of predator and even a different one for an aerial predator vs. one on the ground.
I find roosters to be the most interesting characters and it's almost awe-inspiring to watch a rooster with his hens. Our dogs got out recently and the older dog likes to chase chickens. While trying to catch the dogs we also watched while my rooster repeatedly ran back and forth in front of the dogs, attracting attention to himself and away from the hens, giving the hens plenty of time to hide.

ETA: I hear my rooster all day long. I've learned which noises I can ignore. There are some sounds he makes though that get me right out the door to the coop. Any time there's a threat he lets me know about it.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

You've got a lot of fun to look forward to with this new hobby (fixation)

!

Yes, a good rooster will make the same sound a Mama hen makes. They both do it for the same reason, to summon those under their care to come, usually to partake in some food, especially a tasty treat. The Mama hen calls to her chicks so they can feed on the food she's scratched up, a good rooster will call to his hens when he finds something good to eat.

I think they both reap the same benefit, which is the survival of the species, the promotion of their personal DNA. The hen wants her chicks to carry her genes to further generations, the rooster wants to attract & sustain a lot of hens to lay & hatch the eggs he fertilizes.

Your poor roo is probably lonely without any hens and perhaps is clucking to you as his next best choice. Take it as a compliment!

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, just wait until you have hens for that rooster! You will hear a remarkable variety of sounds from your rooster (and from the hens, too).

The first time I heard my rooster GROWL it startled the heck out of me. He also has a softer, purring, trill sound. Plus the clucks, BAWKS, and of course, the Err-a-ERRR- err- ERRRRRs.

His "come here, I have something for you, my pretties" call is adorable.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
I've heard that, it really is fascinating. They have one word for "something-flying-overhead" and a really bad word they say when they mean "HAWK!" The roos have us all trained, hen & human alike, we all stop in our tracks and scan the sky when we hear that word.

One of the things I enjoy while spending time helping to man the Poultry Tent at our County Fair is the social group dynamics of all the chickens in the tent. They'll start an alarm at one end of the tent & the sound then carries like a wave across to the other side. They'll call a warning when they see the shadow of a bird on the ceiling of the tent, or when a stray sparrow flies through inside. And it was a different sound they made when some genius walked through with her service dog-in-training.

Once I reached in a cage containing a pair of bantams in order to remove the egg the hen had laid. The little bantam roo started to shriek, and it sounded just like "THIEF!! THIEF!! THIEF!!" and all the other chickens in the tent took up the cry.

 

[bakerjw]

My first chickens were my pullet girls from TSC but my second straight run chicks (Silver Sebrights and White Leghorns) contained a pair of roos each. So far my little Sebright roos are the only ones making any ruckuss but it is adorable to watch and hear. I look forward to someday being able to answer a question like the OP asked but for now I can say that I am looking forward to hearing the wide array of sounds that may come from these creatures.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Thank you all for your responces, I know that is sounded like a silly question. I have had a rooster for only 3 days
and all I have heard was the crowing till today. I just wanted to make sure that he was normal. I am looking forward
to getting the hens and watching the interactions.

 

[funfeatheredfeet]

Hi!

I wanted to tell you that I just added a beautiful, big Buff Orpington to my flock. He strutts around so proudly. But, today, I was so shocked....I am new to Roosters. I have heard his loud crow but today, when the girls lay their eggs, they carry on with a ton of clucks to announce their egg and he actually was clucking the loudest!! And I did hear him growl....oh, my, at first it scared me then I realized it was coming from him....never knew they could growl!

I've only had chickens for a couple of months and I love them. What fun and entertainment they are!!
I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. And, I'm hooked on this BYC site. I have learned so much.
Rhonda