Barking Rooster

[melroseladi]

I have a 19 week old rooster who has been crowing for a long time. I let him and the hens out to free range. I went out to check on everybody and heard a bark coming from the hen house where I have 2 broody silkies. The rooster does not roost in the hen house but is free to go in and out when I have the run open for everybody to free range.

When I went in the hen house he was standing in front of my silkies barking. I mean serious barking, like a dogs bark, not a sneeze or a cough. I scooted him out of the hen house and out the run and he stood there and barked several more times.

I am sure the bark means something but I haven't a clue what it is. Any suggestions?

 

[chickenlovefever]

hmmmm..... Was it like, Bock bock BAAARRRKKKK? or Like, Bock bock ba-BOCK?

 

[AZBootsie]

No idea what it means in chicken speak....but very cool!!

 

[farmerinKC]

Actually, I heard kind of a barking sound coming from one of my girls recently-now I'm worried!

Hope someone who speaks rooster can give you an answer.

 

[melroseladi]

Quote:
Nope just one bark, a few second pause, and another bark. I thought one of my dogs had gone in the hen house. I have never heard him make that sound before and he is a very vocal rooster, not just crowing but lots of bock-bock-ba-bocks.

He lives with 2 hens that are 17 weeks old, they (the hens) beat up my younger hens that is why they are separated. He has been starting to try to breed with them, I even saw him starting to do his little "dance" around them, so he has become much more vocal. It was just strange hearing the barking.

The younger hens and the silkies stay in the hen house but they all free range most of the day. The rooster does consider the silkies part of his flock since they used to live in the same shed with the rooster and older hens. I had to move the silkies to the hen house when he started trying to mount them. He is WAY to big for the silkies to hold up.

 

[ezekielSM]

Maybe the chicken's a dog in his past life who liked to go eat others' chickens too much and is now paying the price? (Gods forbid if your roo gets hurt in this life, I hope he'll have a safe happy one!)

My girls sound like car engines. "Vrrrrrn.... vrrrrrrn..." sometimes.

 

[BooBear]

The sound is either a danger alert call or one of the girls laid an egg and he is helping announce it.
The danger call and egg sound sound the same and are to get everyones attention.

Rita (Silkie pullet) sounds like she is quacking when she makes these calls.
Individual chickens can have their own unique sounds sometimes. It is neat.

 

[melroseladi]

It is very cool the different sounds that they make and I really try to listen to all their noises. I also have guineas who are very vocal as well. What I found odd was he was standing in front of the silkies, they are side by side and both setting on guinea eggs, nothing else was in the hen house or in the run, all the other chickens and the guineas were out free ranging. He then went outside the run and continued his barking. Really strange, but then again, he is a teenage rooster so maybe not all that strange after all.

 

[BooBear]

Sounds like he thought they laid them eggs.
Rooster: "Hey everyone guess who has eggs?!"