The Urban Legend Concerning a Roosters' Cock-a-doodle-doo

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One of the most popular urban fables in the animal world has to do with the distinctive "cock-a-doodle-doo" of a rooster. Popular belief has it that male chickens crow only at the break of dawn, according to legend to wake up farmers and other people who need to be up early in the morning. A number of readers - denizens of the city, no doubt - probably think that this fable is really true.

Sorry to burst any bubbles, but the tale isn't entirely true. While rooster crowing usually does begin early in the morning, it can, and oftentimes does, continue throughout the day -- and the reason it happens has absolutely nothing to do with being a feathered alarm clock. In actuality the piercing, high-pitched ululation serves as a territorial challenge to other roosters, to attract nearby hens and as a general alarm.

How this myth got started is a matter of historical debate, but one of the earliest references to the bird and its distinctive cry can be traced back to Greek mythology. According to the myth, Alectryon -- the ancient Greek name for "rooster" -- was a youth who was ordered by Ares, the God of War, to ensure that no one entered his domicile while the he carried on an adulterous dalliance with goddess Aphrodite. Unfortunately for him, Alectryon fell asleep while on watch, and Helios, the Sun God, walked in on the amorous couple. Spitefully, Ares turned Alectryon into a rooster, which always remembers to announce the sun's arrival in the morning.

Other legends have sprung up around the noisy bird: in ancient central European folk tales Lucifer is believed to flee at the first crowing of a rooster. A medieval myth says that the Basilisk, a giant snake who kills with a single glance and is hatched by a toad from a hen's egg, will instantly die if it hears a rooster crowing.

In contemporary times, even business tools like online Yellow Pages feature the name rooster as it remains a fairly prevalent commercial name, for businesses from poultry processing plants to retail chicken establishments.

Chickens are both entertaining and useful to keep. They are cheap to raise and they earn their keep by laying eggs for you. Checking at random through local laws around the country, it is interesting to note how they deal with raising chickens:

Portland, OR: Three hens allowed without a permit, but no roosters. Santa Rosa, CA: May have 25 chickens per 20,000 square feet. Corvallis, OR: Unlimited chickens allowed, but no roosters. Little Rock, AR: Up to four chickens allowed. Houston, TX: Up to 30 chickens allowed, but must be kept 100 feet from neighboring structures. Burlington, VT: Up to 3 fowl per household. Aiken, SC: Chickens must be penned, and the pen kept 40' from neighboring residences. Boston, MA: All residential zones in Boston forbid "auxiliary keeping of animals", which includes poultry and other livestock.

So there you have it -- the truth about the tale of the roosters cock-a-doodle-do and its historical context, as well as some contemporary information on how various cities legislate the presence of fowl within their borders.