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Why Does the Rooster Crow?

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We’re celebrating Chinese New Year January 17 to 28 with ways to win!

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And the fun doesn’t stop there! Join us January 28 with the coupon (below), found in local print ads or via our Swinomish Casino & Lodge app, to receive a mystery slot ticket, valued anywhere from $5 to $500! The first 300 guests in line will be eligible to pick up a slot ticket and stuffed rooster. We’re also hosting Hot Seat drawings from 9am to 2pm. For more details, visit our Chinese New Year event page.

Why Does The Rooster Crow?

Ever wonder why roosters crow at the crack of dawn each day? In the spirit of the year of the rooster, we searched for the answer. A group of researchers in Japan concluded that a rooster’s internal clock takes precedence over external cues. The researchers exposed groups of roosters to controlled environments.

Experiment #1: light/dark

In one experiment, a group of roosters was exposed to 12 hours of light, then 12 hours of darkness. On this schedule, the dominant roosters would seemingly predict the daylight, crowing about two hours before lights came on. Younger and lower ranking roosters generally waited to crow until more dominate roosters crowed.

Experiment #2: dark

In another experiment, a group of roosters was exposed to nearly constant darkness 24 hours a day. Though light didn’t appear, the roosters crowed at what would be daytime. They did this every day, crowing based on their internal clocks.

Experiment #3: dark with flashes of light

For the last experiment, the researchers exposed roosters to flashes of light at random times, to see if the appearance of light suddenly influenced the roosters to crow. However, the roosters didn’t react much to sudden flashes of light. Roosters seemed to crow only when they expected dawn to appear.