Chicken language.... or why do you look at me so funny?

[toredano]

In the last few days I been hanging with my peeps alot. ( I know .. bad pun)

I have 2 little females that love to come up and sit on me and just preen and then doze a while. The smallest one.. I call her Omelette..She looks up at me with her head kinda cocked one way then does this.. hmmm.. not sure how to explain that.. like a Trlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlr sound.. Allmost like a purr but very high pitched .. Very odd. And then does the peep peep thing.. what is she saying?
And then they look at me all the time..Not sure why.. allways one eye all the time. Not sure if they asking me something or waiting for me to go bawk bawk at them? lol


Anyone ever got explained or know what they doing or saying? I like to believe they are content or are talking to me. They have alot of different sounds they make.. I know my Roo gets upset when i put my hand on his back. I can tell he isnt amused at all..The females dont care.

Since I started this chicken hobby..I must say..I have not had one second where I had any regrets about it.They are just so neat to watch and feed .The best part is when they trust you so much allready after 3 weeks that they would sit on you and sleep.. even on their side with their ugly knarly feet sticking out..

I had them freeranging now for a week. They dont run off .. They go for their midday nap back into their coop and then go back out til sundown. I was concernd they would run off but they are good staying on our place.They know where is a safe place at night.. so that is good.

I also modified their coo pa bit..The lid was solid wood so I inserted a piece of plexi glas as a window .. attached a solar powered light to it and now at night they can see a little and not dump their water over anymore like they did in the dark all the time. The ligh is really dim but enough light so they can see.

Only thing is I ended up having 2 Roo`s and 2 hens instead of 1 Roo and 3 Hens .So one has to go back soon before they start fighting each other.

Ahh I better stop.. not sure why this got so long and kinda off course..sorry

So.. who knoes chicken lingo? care to explain ?

Petra

 

[Peeplperson]

I'm so glad someone else is trying to decipher chick-speak! I've noticed 3 distinct sounds:
- the contented peep-peep. I breathe, therefore I peep
- the 'trill' which I choose to assume means 'happiness happening here', and
- the OMG, IS THAT EGG YOLK!!!!! squawk (usually combined with chick stampede)

The one-eyed look usually accompanies a giant poop in the newly cleaned brooder, as if to say, 'You are no longer in control'. This is my first (but NOT last) time having chickens - who knew how much fun they could be!

 

[chickenbottom]

well when i give out a loud sound like CHICKCHICKCHICKCHICKCHICK over and over again they do the exact same thing i would like to know what it mean but i dont

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

I have a couple that do the thing where they turn their head sideways and look at me out of one eye and chirp. I think they are trying to figure out if I have treats. My girls love bread!!

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

That trltrltrltrltrltrltrltrltr... sound can mean a few things. Roos tend to make that purring sound when they hear or see something troubling to warn the other flock members. Hens may do it when they want the other hens or flock members to listen carefully and keep a watch. If they know you, I'm guessing you scared them and they stopped to listen.

It happens with mine.

Roos will make a lower version of this noise, while typically finding a nice place to nest or food and call a hen over. This is a noise roos will use to seduce a hen into thinking, "Wow, he has food and/or a nesting place. I really like this guy." Though my girls tend to growl at the boys and tell them to stop showing off.

The peeping noise afterwards will mean that they are calling off the alarm. "It's okay, everyone. No trouble here. Carry on." You may notice that if this is the case, the more dominant hens or roos will be the ones to peep afterwards.

 

[mechagrue]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! My chicks (err, pullets by now I guess) are 8 weeks old. My only prior chicken experience was with childhood petting zoos, and cartoons.

I've heard people mention "the noise a hen uses to call her chicks," but I have no idea what that noise is. I even spent time watching chicken videos on YouTube trying to figure it out, to no avail.

When I call my chickens, I say "chicka chicka chicka." I do this as I'm handing them treats, and they seem to have caught on. I doubt it's proper Chickenese, but I figure if chickens can learn how to play Tic Tac Toe they can learn what sound means "Come get treats!"

If anyone can contribute Chickenese-English dictionary entries, I would be most grateful.

When mine trill, it seems to be more of a question, like "What's that?" e.g. earlier today I was out working on their chicken tractor. I winged a small piece of scrap plywood away from the tractor, Frisbee-style, towards my scrap wood pile. When it "flew" past, Harriet trilled, and all four of them froze.

 

[Its Just Us Chickens]

Mine aren't chicks, they're full grown. BUt funny story....


One morning my RIR's were jsut coming out of the coop and my hubby was standing on the front steps smoking a cigarette. I poked my head out the door to talk to him, then we got to watching the chickens.
All but one hen had come running over to where we were. YK, they're like humans! there must be food near by. They're scratching hunting for food on our side of the yard.

Then the other hen finally comes out of the coop. She's stolling along, taking her sweet time getting where she's going. Stopping to peck the ground here and there. She's got all day long to make it to the other side of the yard.
The rooster starts calling her. I don't how to describe the noise, but it's almost like a sound a dog would make. Anyhow, you could tell he was calling her. And she was obviously ignoring him. He kept calling, and he was getting irritated with her. She just kept right on doing her own little thing.
The the roo has had enough of this, so he makes this other kind of high pitched noise. He was saying, you better get your tail over here. She make the same noise right back, which meant, you can kiss my grits too.
He tries calling her one more time, and she's still ignoring him. THen suddenly he takes off running across the yard and chases her all the way back to where the other hens were.

It was sooo funny. DH and I where just about crying we were laughing so hard.

 

[JenEric Farms]

 

[Redsquirrel]

I agree with the trill thing. Mine make it when they are not sure what just happened-like a warning. They usually make it when a large bird flies over head, or there is a strange noise, etc. Two are smart and run to hide, but the cochins-bless their ditzy hearts-look around as if to say-"what just happened, did we miss it?" lol * I have a confession-I talk to my hens all the time...and they talk back to me! in chickenese of course (there i said it... i feel sooo much better now) Glad other people talk to their's too

 

[toredano]

Phew..And here I thought I am the only one who talks to their chickens.

Good thing I dont have neighbors to speak of.. They would prolly cart me off to the looney bin.

The alarm thing I get.We where sitting on our deck yesterday afternoon. A crow flew really low across the yard. All 4 of them ran under our feet to hide.. well..They ran to far and ran into the plastic lattice work we have covering the porch. They not to bright but they knew they had to hide somewhere..

Chickens are not the smartest things in the world but its really neat to see them comunicate like they do.


None of them do the bawk bawk yet..Not sure on the age but still rather young.I think they are moulting for the first time now.Feather everywhere and they all look like they been thru the wringer And my Roo has not crowed yet either , allthough his voice is changing .He sounds odd. Sounds like a 90 year old chainsmoker right now.