is there any rhyme or reason to random crowing?

Roosters crow any time they take a notion. The idea that they only crow when the sun comes up is a false impression. Sometimes they crow just to hear themselves crow.

Here is a comparison - you know how guys randomly scratch themselves (especially when they think no one is looking?) that's how it if for roosters except they crow.

Different species but still a male!

 

I find my silkies to be much more vocal than any of my current standard roo's. They crow all through the night... 1am , 3am , etc....

All I can think of is they think quite a bit of themselves and want to share it with the rest of the world..lol.

Julie

 

i live in a chicken rich area, and my rooster will crow in response to other roosters crowing, so its often a chain reaction that goes around the neighborhood.

he also crows when he finds himself short on hens. Since they are free range, some times he will looks around and only see a couple and wonder where the heck the rest have gone off to.

 

My sweet roo crows when he is especially happy (a really nice day), when he feels the need to declare territory (at times when he's heard a roo that he didn't much care for crow), to communicate with another roo when he once got separated from this roo friend - this helped them find one another, and early a.m. for whatever reason he and most seem to deem necessary!
JJ