Alectryomancy is a form of divination using a black hen or gamecock. The diviner would sprinkle grain on the ground and allow the birds to peck. When the birds had finished, the diviner would interpret the patterns left on the ground.A later Medieval development called for a circle to be drawn and divided into as many parts as there were letters in the alphabet. This was usually twenty-four equal spaces (omitting "J" and "U" which were represented by "I" and "V"). Cereal grain was placed in each section beginning with the first letter, and a certain incantation was recited while the sun or moon was in Aries or Leo. A young and white rooster had its claws removed and then was was forced to swallow them along with a small roll of parchment made of lambskin inscribed with certain words.
The diviner holding the rooster repeated his incantation or conjuration. Placing the rooster within the circle, he then recited two verses of the Psalms, which are exactly the midmost of the seventy-two verses. The cock was observed as it pecked the grains from certain letters, and new grains were quickly replaced so the rooster could continue to spell out words and sentences. Though if I were the rooster, I would not be inclined to cooperate after having my claws removed.
A variation on this theme was to recite letters of the alphabet noting those at which a cock crowed.