Does every flock have a complainer?

[BayBay Peepers]

I love reading this thread! It's too funny.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Is it complaining, or is it conversation? Our flock tends to gather around if I sit for a while and then proceeds to all talk at once. I think the general gist of it is that they're fine, they hope I'm fine, and they wonder when snacks will be served.

 

[sayga]

Is it complaining, or is it conversation? Our flock tends to gather around if I sit for a while and then proceeds to all talk at once. I think the general gist of it is that they're fine, they hope I'm fine, and they wonder when snacks will be served.

Probably some of each. My complainers are loud and grumpy. The conversationalists hang around and softly "wawwwwk? bwok bowk?" at me.

Also, it's always all about the snacks. Mine are quickly learning that the friendlier they are to me, the more likely they will get singled out for treats they don't have to share. YUM! Our pet rats lick our plates clean, and our chickens eat all the table scraps. No need for a dog; we've got that covered!

 

[ChickenGirl16]

I have a little black Japanese / Cochin mix named sassy that screams everytime something happens ... She even screams at me for food or whenever I walk up to the pen . One time I had to take her to a school animal fair and someone went to pet her and she screamed so loud and everyone looked at me funny.

 

[GuineaFowling]

I had a little white silkie rooster who lived with four giant red sex link hens. He would complain but I think he had good reason to. When the four hens decided they wanted to run across the yard he would be left behind and would end up chasing after them and pulling tails to get into the lead. If the hens were in a circle he would run around trying to get in on the latest gossip and eventually squeeze between them. He disliked the knew pullets we got and one very adventurous sussex would be bait to his shenanigans. My little speckled sussex would manage to find her way out of the pen, leaving her friends behind, and go forage. She was a tiny thing, mind you, and the silkie would see her and chase her and try and peck her. Sometimes just to get those odd yet strangely cute noisy out of him, we would hold her towards him and when he came running in attack mode we would quickly lift her up. The poor guy was so frustrated.

 

[RavenGemini]

I find that one of my girls is a complainer more so than I originally thought. She 'screams' when I feed them and do not let her free range. (they share a yard with dogs too and I have to make sure they don't meet by accident) She screams when the food isn't to her standards ( I never knew chickens really had a standard). I took them a banana yesterday and for two hours she not only refused to eat it after she pecked at it a few minutes all while staring and squawking at me... she wouldn't let any of the others around it either!

 

[GuineaFowling]

Some hens! I think a few guinea fowl sort out the complainers.

 

[cwrite]

I have a pullet called Steve who was our first layer. I started free-ranging them a couple of weeks ago, now that they are bigger than my cats & Steve has started complaining about not being let out enough to suit her. She's crafty too. She sings an egg song to get me to come out & if I don't the egg song gets angrier until she sounds a bit hoarse. This afternoon I called the pullets to get back in the run so that I could go out & Steve didn't make an appearance. I found her lounging in their newly made dust bath (in my garden bed) like she was at a spa & not in the least worried that she was alone.

 

[wickedhens]

Is it complaining, or is it conversation? Our flock tends to gather around if I sit for a while and then proceeds to all talk at once. I think the general gist of it is that they're fine, they hope I'm fine, and they wonder when snacks will be served.

My silkie hen is definitely complaining! She cracks me up the others will be just fine and dandy and she will run up to me and start. They go on about their business and act like she is not even there. She reminds me of a taddle tale child, sometimes when she is complaining it sounds like she is say "nag nag nag nag naaaag nag"

 

[deacons]

Like others, I have one of the "alarmists"- she'll get really preoccupied with scratching on one patch of grass, and miss the fact that the rest of the flock has zoomed away. When she realizes she's alone, she gets frantic and makes these awful crow cries.

When they are free ranging, there always seems to be one that takes on the role of worrier. We have a lot of hawks around, so I often here that little "buzz" hawk alarm, and airplanes cause the same reaction, well before I can ever see or hear it coming. These little chickens are a lot smarter than people give them credit for...