what age do cockerels start crowing usually?

[Chickie'sMoma]

i have a buff orp x silkie. the dad was the silkie and i know that they can take some time to mature, but i thought that the orps were earlier maturing. this one looks like a buff orp and not a silkie.

the bird is now 8 weeks old but i have been hearing what i believe is the beginnings of crowing from what i thought was a female.

this usually only happens when i turn on the light above the pen and get them started for the day. (i still have this one and it's sibling in my house/basement while the coop & fenced area is in the works.) i haven't heard it later in the day/evenings when i check on them.

am i just going crazy or is this really the right time to start hearing a crow out of a future roo?

 

[gritsar]

Some cockerels start crowing at the astonishing age of a few days old. Others wait until they are close to a year old or older.

 

[NellaBean]

My 8 week old cockerel has been making funny noises for about a week, maybe two. He sounds like.....defective bagpipes

Prior to that, he made some interesting clucks for a couple weeks.

My 6 week old cockerel has been making the same interesting clucks for about a week.....I don't doubt he will be defective bagpipes in a few weeks, too.

I didn't realize I bought scottish chickens.....

 

[Majestic Lane Poultry]

I have a two and a half month old splash orpington from MissPrissy. That cockerel crows like crazy when I let them out and then slows down throughout the day.

 

[msgenie516]

Hi,

One of my cockerels started crowing at just under one month old, so you never know!

Genie

 

[Mahonri]

I have two white leghorns that started crowing at 4 weeks... it was comical then, now at 10 weeks they are serious crowers.... 6 weeks until they go to freezer camp.

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

I have a 12 week old RIR that hasn't crowed at all!! He still peeps like a little chick!

 

[speckledhen]

The youngest I've had was five DAYS old. It was so weird, I didn't catch on to what he was doing at first. Then I had a couple who crowed at seven days. The oldest beginner was at 18 weeks. Right now, I have two 9-week old Delawares crowing in their coop.

 

[Davaroo]

Chickie'sMoma :

i have a buff orp x silkie. the dad was the silkie and i know that they can take some time to mature, but i thought that the orps were earlier maturing. this one looks like a buff orp and not a silkie.

the bird is now 8 weeks old but i have been hearing what i believe is the beginnings of crowing from what i thought was a female.

this usually only happens when i turn on the light above the pen and get them started for the day. (i still have this one and it's sibling in my house/basement while the coop & fenced area is in the works.) i haven't heard it later in the day/evenings when i check on them.

am i just going crazy or is this really the right time to start hearing a crow out of a future roo?

2 months is not too soon. It is a little unusual, but as you can see from the other responses, there isnt much cast in stone.
One of the reasons for the old school wisdom about keeping single breed flocks was so you could have some predictability. When dealing with cross breeds, and 'yard confetti' mixed flocks, its wise not to expect absolutes. Some people prefer such "spontaneity" in their poultry yard. Other, like myself, do not.

If the bird is indeed a female, then you could be seeing an alpha response. 2 months is not too early for that, either, although you didnt mention if you have other birds. Is this a single or one of many?​

 

[melissastraka]

I have a bunch of roos who are 3.5 months. My DH and I have a 3 story house...kids domain is downstairs, living area on main floor and then our room is open to the main floor up on the 3rd. We have those small little windows since it is up so high and keep them open all year round. The other morning about 4am We hear something like a chicken is dying...remember The Little Mermaid, Scuttle? Like that! It was my roo trying to crow!
I have now ran outside in my bathrobe and stocking feet to see this big boy sit on a stump and make curtling sounds...yeah cant wait for him to actually crow instead of this...now he has two more that want to join in!