Bergische Kräher
Yurlower cock
Kosova Long Crower

Long-crowing chicken breeds are characterised by the unusually long-drawn-out crow of the cocks, which may in some cases last for up to 60 seconds.[1]: 44  The oldest references to long-crowing cocks are from China.[2]: 97  Long-crowing breeds are found in the Far East, in Turkey, in the Balkans and in western Germany.

History

The earliest reference to long-crowing cocks is in the writings of Li Ji, dating from the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han (75–49 BC). In Japan the first references are from the early eighth century, in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles.[2]: 97  The Bergische Kräher breed of Germany was imported from the Balkans in Mediaeval times. In Russia the Jurlower or Yurlov Crower was bred in the nineteenth century.[1]: 44 

Characteristics

Chicken breeds which to a greater or lesser extent display long-crowing behaviour include the Berat, Bergische Kräher, Jurlower and Kosova Long Crower breeds of eastern Europe, the Denizli of Turkey, and the Koeyoshi, Kurokashiwa, Tomaru and Tôtenko breeds of Japan.[3][4]: 10 

In general, long-crowing breeds are tall, with long legs and neck.[1]: 44 

Crowing contests

In Germany, Indonesia and Japan, there is an established tradition of cock-crowing contests with local birds. The length of a crow is measured, but the number of crowing calls, the tone and the melody may also be judged.[5] More recently, contests with non-local breeds are being organised in Germany and the Netherlands.

Breeds

Long-crowing breeds recognised world-wide include the following:[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gail Damerow (2010 [1995]). Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781603424707.
  2. 1 2 Tomoyoshi Komiyama, Kazuho Ikeo, Takashi Gojobori (May 2004). The evolutionary origin of long-crowing chicken: its evolutionary relationship with fighting cocks disclosed by the mtDNA sequence analysis. Gene 333: 91–99. (subscription required)
  3. ↑ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
  4. ↑ Hristo Lukanov (2012). Balkan Chicken Breeds and Breed groups. Aviculture Europe 8: 1–16.
  5. ↑ Judging criteria of the German Club for Asian longcrowers. Longcrowers.de . Accessed November 2017.
  6. ↑ Armin Six ([s.d.]). Langkräherrassen (in German). Accessed September 2015.
  7. 1 2 Waltraud Kugler (2009). Rare Breeds and Varieties of Greece: Atlas 2010: Synonyms, Occurrence, Description of Rare Breeds and Varieties in Greece. St. Gallen, Switzerland: Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe. Archived 24 September 2015.
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