6 am Wake Up Call

[barred2rock]

At about 6 this morning I was rudely woken up by the chickens making a ruckus; more than an hour before light and two hours before I usually let them out (this time of year). I immediately went down, checked the outside of the run & coop with no signs of predators. Opened up the coop with four of the girls in their normal roosting spots, one in a nest box. Again, no signs of predators. What gives? Why would they make such a ruckus in the dark, when normally they don't make a peep until well after I let them out? Has this ever happened with your chickens? Maybe it was just an early "egg song" (although no eggs when I let them out)?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What type of "ruckus" was it - alarmed sounds, cluck/cluck, fighting, egg song, etc. This may give us a better idea.

Did the one in the nesting box sleep there all night? If not, how much light is shining in the coop for her to be able to come off the roost to get to the box?


Noises well before daylight, to me, would indicate a predator around. They are sneaky, and most of the time they will get gone before you can get out there.

 

[barred2rock]

What type of "ruckus" was it - alarmed sounds, cluck/cluck, fighting, egg song, etc. This may give us a better idea.

Did the one in the nesting box sleep there all night? If not, how much light is shining in the coop for her to be able to come off the roost to get to the box?


Noises well before daylight, to me, would indicate a predator around. They are sneaky, and most of the time they will get gone before you can get out there.

Either an "egg song" or predator alert, can't really tell the difference. When I went to check on them all seemed normal except the one in the nest box. Don't know if she slept there or not, first time I've seen anyone in the nest box not during daylight.

ETA: Last night was a full or near full moon, so they had moon light; although I think the moon had set by the time the ruckus started.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm guessing it was a predator that YOU didn't see.

 

[barred2rock]

I'm guessing it was a predator that YOU didn't see.

Hopefully it was just the feral cat & her kittens that my mother likes to feed when she comes by . No way they can get in, so they're not really a threat, just slightly annoying.

 

[chickens really]

Birds sometimes have night terrors and actually fall of the Roost at night...It happens sometimes.......Crazy Birds....