I found this from a farmer's website:

"The conventional wisdom is that a rooster crows as light begins to break in the morning. Some report their roos are set off at night by the headlights of a passing car. Some of my roos sometimes crow when they hear me coming to open the coop. However, roosters don't just crow in the morning. They crow because they hear other roosters crowing (you can get chain reactions). Other things that seem to set them off: to show that a certain place in the barnyard is their turf; to try and assert their own authority to another roo; hearing a hen cackle after it has laid an egg. I think the general rule for this is that a rooster crows any time it wants to - or feels the need. For all I know, mine may crow on and off all night, but I just hear them in the morning."

http://joecliffordfaust.com/chickens/chickenfaq.html

I have a flock of chickens in my yard in STX and they go all night. Kept me up for the first couple of nights I lived there, but I got used to it pretty quickly and now I barely hear them. Perhaps you will get used to it in time to have at least a couple good night sleeps on vacation! Good Luck! 🙂

Cvwood...i really had to laugh when I read your post.

Alot of people may know that Key West protects their roosters. They are a pain in the A**. First time we went, we were awoken at 4:00 every morning. Even the cats are scared of them.

We were walking down Duval street one day and one flew out of a tree at us. What's with that?

Actually, they scare me.

Bringing my earplugs this year...last year the roosters woke us up every "morning" ( 2 a.m. !!!!) Last night we were going for a walk and talking about "wheels up" on Wednesday, and I started crowing!!!!

I love the roosters. wink. We sat on the deck at Quiet Mon and watched them cross back and forth across the road. It was like watching live action Frogger! Then there was the man who jumped on the Dollar Man safari with a rooster in the crook of his arm. I thought it was dead, but nope. Live rooster. on the safari. love Stt.

Aaahh...roosters. One of the annoyingly charming aspects of STJ and the reason why we've stayed in Coral Bay the last few years! Not much rooster action near Calabash Boom :).

Oh, it was just funny in the middle of the rain storm last night.....

Connie - you're right about the roosters on Key West....even with an extra claw on each foot, the cats are terrified of them.

Ahh yes, very fond memories of our very own psycho rooster...

I too, laughed when I saw this post! Even read it to my honey!
The roosters and chickens are taking over the Islands! We had one that was pestering our guests ( 1am, 3am, 5am,......) at Stone Cottage so Jeff made enlarged versions of a cat trap so we could catch him and find him a new home! One of our guests was a repeater and he told me he wasn't coming back until the rooster was gone! lol! When they got back home, we got a package in the mail from them. 2 Large Coffee ROOSTER mugs!!!!!! We cracked up laughing! They DID come back and we promised them, NO roosters! 🙂

The roosters I can deal with - I live near Hovensa on STX and figure they crow for each of the shift rotations - neighborhood has a lot of refinery workers in it.

It is the DOGS that get me. How can you have 5-7 dogs anyhow? And then when they start barking and it wakes the neighbors down the street and across the block up - how can you stand it being right there. WITHOUT even trying to shut them up??!!! I just don't get it.

I was raised in the country on a farm. I love animals - but for the love of your neighbor - do something about the flippin dogs barking at all hours.

Please note - the bold words are not shouting in this case. It is incredulousness (if that is a word).

Man, did this bring back memories! A few years back we were staying at an isolated resort on Antigua, and our room was at the end of the property, abutting a local farm. The goats would get loose regularly and eat the grass by our door (not a problem), but it was the damn rooster and dog that woke us up every bloody night (some times several times). By the end of our stay we had vowed that if we ever had the chance, we were going to grab the rooster by its legs and beat that dog senseless with it!!!! (just a JOKE, for all you rooster lovers out there!)

Man I'm surprised no one has made a "DumbCocks" joke yet. But maybe because it would get censored for the double meaning.

The Luncheria (Mexican outdoor cafe) in Christiansted, St Croix is surrounded by chickens and roosters looking for handouts. Last year a rooster flew up on one of the picnic tables and one of the elderly ladies at the table threw up her hands and plates and food and rooster went flying. We love that little cafe and after a couple of 151 Margaritas (buck fifty a piece) I look at those roosters and and order another chicken enchilada.

Not to worry, with Carnival coming up, I'm sure a good number of our beloved wild and roaming chickens and roosters will "magically" disappear.....