So Just How Loud Is A Rooster's Crow?

  So Just How Loud Is A Rooster's Crow?

August 22, 2021

(A shot of Lafayette letting loose a crow in the morning!)

More and more suburban and urban areas are starting to allow a small flock of backyard chickens, but many are still banning roosters- claiming around-the-clock crowing as an annoyance to neighbors. So I decided to do a bit of research to find out just how loud a rooster's crow actually is.

First of all, you need to understand how sound is measured. All sounds are measured in decibels. 

So what is a decibel?

A decibel is a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale- a unit of measurement that indicates how loud a sound is. The human ear can hear sounds within the 0-140 decibel range. Less than zero, the sound still exists, but we can't hear it. Above 140 decibels can cause immediate pain and permanent damage to the ears, while exposure to a noise above 180 decibels will kill hearing tissue. Prolonged exposure to sounds above 85 decibels can also cause hearing loss, albeit temporarily, if hearing protection isn't worn. A rooster's crow is typically around the 130 decibels range. Conversely, a hen's cluck falls in the 60 decibel range. Of course how close you are to the sound makes a difference in how loud it sounds, (which is people who own roosters don't go deaf- they are not in close range of the crow), but prolonged exposure is more dangerous than shorter exposure.

Above 140 decibels - gun going off, fireworks, rocket launch, aircraft carrier

130 decibels - average rooster crowing, jet engine

120 decibels - police siren, thunder, chainsaw

110 decibels - rock concert

100 decibels - helicopters, planes, motorcycles

95 decibels - violin, drilling

90 decibels - dog barking, yelling, train whistle, lawnmower

85 decibels - saw, mixer

80 decibels - alarm clock, doorbell, telephone dial tone, dishwasher

70 decibels - loud television, vacuum cleaner, piano music, passing cars

60 decibels - hens clucking, normal human conversation

55 decibels - coffee maker

40 decibels - cat meowing, wild birds

30 decibels - background noise, whispering

10 decibels - a leaf falling, breathing

0 decibels - near total silence

Of course, some may ask- how does the rooster crowing inside the coop not permanently deafen himself as well as all the hens? And the answer is actually pretty fascinating. It seems that when a rooster cranes his neck, opens his bill and prepares to crow, that action causes soft tissue to cover a quarter of the ear canal and half of the eardrum, effectively protecting him from hearing loss. Also, unlike humans, chickens are able to regrow hearing cells, so it's possible that if the crowing does damage the hens' hearing, they are able to continually repair it.

So as you can see, a rooster's crow is...pretty loud. Many who aren't allowed to keep roosters point to the fact that a rooster isn't any louder than a barking dog - but that's incorrect. 

A rooster is much, much louder. 

More like a jet engine.