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Why Do Chickens Wake Up Early? This Is Why!

By Jake Willhoite · · Updated

Why Do Chickens Wake Up Early
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If you keep backyard chickens, you know they are up early. Roosters crow at dawn, but hens are awake and busy early too.

Why do chickens wake up early? Chickens are active during daylight and rest in the dark, so their day starts with first light. As the sky brightens, they wake, and they spend the day eating, foraging, laying, dust bathing and socializing.

Below, we look at why chickens keep such early hours and what that means for your routine.

Related Article: Why hens run before mating?

These Are The Reasons Why Chickens Wake Up Early

Chickens are diurnal birds. They are active in daylight and settle to roost at dusk, and their daily rhythm is closely tied to the light.

Chickens see well in daylight and have good color vision, but they see poorly in the dark. That makes them vulnerable to predators at night, so they roost before dark and get moving again as soon as there is light.

Roosters often start crowing before sunrise. Research suggests an internal body clock helps them anticipate dawn, rather than seeing light that people can't.

Light also matters for laying. Hens are sensitive to day length, and egg production depends on how many hours of light they get.

The Small and Backyard Poultry extension program recommends about 14 hours of light per day to keep a flock laying year-round. That is why many hens lay fewer eggs, or stop, in the short days of winter.

Chickens forage and drink during daylight, so they need to eat well before they roost. If your chickens seem sluggish or uninterested in food during the day, that can be a sign of illness, so check with a vet who treats poultry.

What Time Do Chickens Wake Up?

Chickens usually wake around sunrise, so the time changes with the season and your location. In summer that can be very early in the morning; in winter it's much later.

Even with their eyes closed, chickens respond to brightening light, so they stir as dawn breaks.

What Time Should You Let Your Chickens Out In The Morning?

Let your chickens out around sunrise or soon after, once it's light. The exact time will shift through the year.

Try to stick to a consistent routine. Chickens learn when they will be let out, and a predictable schedule helps keep them calm.

Getting up at dawn every day isn't easy. An automatic coop door that opens and closes on a timer or light sensor can help. Here is one example on Amazon.

An automatic door is useful if you work or travel, because forgetting to shut the coop at night can expose your flock to predators. Check that the door closes fully and that all birds are inside before dark.

What Do Chickens Do In The Morning?

After waking, chickens stretch their legs and wings, head out of the coop and go for food and water. Some birds get up a little later than others, which is normal.

Most hens lay in the morning hours. They head to their nest boxes, often taking turns, and may be noisy before and after laying.

Provide enough nest boxes so hens don't crowd into one. Many keepers use about one nest box for every four or five hens.

Collect eggs at least once a day, and more often if you can. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that frequent collection and soft nesting material reduce broken eggs, which helps prevent hens from learning to eat eggs. Rats, snakes and other predators also take eggs left in the nest.

Through the day, chickens forage, scratch, preen, dust bathe and rest. Dust bathing helps keep their feathers in good condition, and many chickens enjoy sunbathing on warm days.

As the light fades in the evening, chickens make their way back to the coop to roost.

Why Are Chickens Noisy In The Morning?

Mornings can be noisy, especially if you have a rooster. Roosters crow, and hens chatter and call to each other.

Chickens have a wide range of calls. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System says chickens use over thirty vocalizations to communicate things like contentment, food, danger and nesting, and that roosters crow partly to defend their territory.

Common reasons for morning noise include:

  • Your chickens are calling to the rest of the flock
  • Your chickens are eager to get out of the coop
  • Your chickens are hungry or thirsty
  • Your hens are about to lay or have just laid (the "egg song")
  • Your rooster is crowing

Some chickens are naturally louder than others, and when one starts, others often join in.

How To Keep Chickens Quiet In The Morning?

You can't stop laying calls or crowing, but you can reduce other morning noise.

Let your chickens out on a regular schedule and make sure they have food and water first thing. Hungry or impatient birds tend to be louder.

If a hen keeps calling long after laying, or the whole flock suddenly sounds alarmed, check for a predator, a problem in the nest box or a sick bird.

Why Do Chickens Go To Bed Early?

Chickens go to roost early because they see poorly in the dark and are safest up on a perch inside a closed coop.

Roosters sometimes crow at night. Common triggers include a predator nearby, sudden lights or noise, or another rooster crowing.

If a predator is causing the noise, the crowing is the rooster doing his job of alerting the flock. Check that your coop is secure.

What Time Do Chickens Go To Bed?

Chickens head to their roost around dusk and settle once it gets dark. Some birds linger a little longer before going in.

Chickens prefer to sleep off the ground on a perch, which helps protect them from predators.

Final Thoughts

Chickens wake early because their whole day runs on daylight. They rise with the sun, stay busy through the day and roost at dusk.

A consistent routine, or an automatic coop door, makes it easier to keep up. If a normally active or vocal chicken suddenly goes quiet or listless, check on it and contact a vet if needed.

Further reading: peteducate.com

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