Alectryomancy is a form of divination using one or more birds, most preferably a white rooster or cockerel, which peck at scattered grain such as wheat. The process involves the following steps:
The diviner scatters grains randomly on the ground.
The bird(s) are allowed to peck at the grains.
Once the bird(s) have finished pecking, the diviner interprets the patterns left on the ground.
In an alternative method, the bird is tethered in the center of a circle marked with the alphabet around the perimeter. Each letter of the alphabet has a piece of grain associated with it. The process includes:
The observer records each letter that the bird pecks at.
Each grain is replaced after the bird eats it, allowing for letters to be repeated.
The sequence of letters recorded is interpreted as a message.
Alectryomancy is related to:
Ouija: Both involve random selection of letters.
Gyromancy: Involves random selection of letters from a circle.
Orniscopy: Divination by the movements of birds.
Another form of divination using birds is Ornithomancy.