What was the purpose of the rooster that marched with Napoleon in Animal Farm?

Aftertakes
full control of the farm through the execution of "traitors," he starts to act in a
paranoid manner. He remains indoors most of the day, and eats separately from the other pigs. He
also does not travel without his trained dogs and a black rooster that crows to announce his
presence. This continues into the creation of "Spontaneous Demonstrations" which are
Napoleon's method of distracting the animals from their hunger and the continuing decline of the
farm:

...what with the songs, the processions, 's lists of
figures, the thunder of the gun, the crowing of the cockerel, and the fluttering of the flag,
they were able to forget that their bellies were empty, at least part of the time.
(,
, msxnet.org)

The black rooster
announces Napoleon's presence, allowing the other animals to develop an unconscious fear of the
crowing; they know that Napoleon is constantly on the lookout for "traitors." The
black rooster is mentioned as being a "kind of trumpeter," helping to create the sense
of ceremony in the parades. He is analogous to the Grand Marshal of a parade, keeping the time
and leading without actually being in power. It is also possible that Napoleon keeps the black
rooster at the head of the parades in order to provide a distraction for possible
assassinations, since Napoleon is paranoid.