Chicken speak

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Who teaches chickens what noises to make? Is it just nature? My roos have the same crow as some older roosters that live a ways away but I still hear sometimes when the wind carries the sound in. So far since the peeps have stopped

I hear some crowing from the boys, but only other noises are kind of an odd cry from them. It's lower pitch than a screech, but they do it from time to time, and a few clucks here and there. If there are no other hens in the area, will my girls still learn the "egg song"? Do I have to bring my laptop out to show them youtube videos?

I know some never do the egg song but for the ones that do, where do they learn it from?

 

[mandelyn]

I'm pretty sure it's instinct.

The weird cry from the Roo's is something they do when they see smoething... like an airplane flying over, they'll cock their head, and do this "EEerrrr" noise which I guess means "I see something, danger?" If it is indeed danger, then they start the cackling stuff. Once it's past, they start crowing.

The egg song, some do it, some don't, others will join in if they want and the roosters crow in triumph.

They're quite vocal, when the Roos feed the hens, when the hens feed chicks, when the Roos put a show on for the girls, when the girls scream to the world that they laid an egg, when a predator is about, or an airplane (little bitty hawk is what they think?)

The breeds and sizes I think dictate the possible noises, genetics more than learning. But, I think that having Roosters will prompt growing roos to crow sooner, or atleast try to. Pretty funny when they're in that ackward voice changing stage.

 

[Omani]

I was wondering this myself. On quiet evenings you can hear a rooster down the road, barely. So I guessed the vocalizations must be instinct. That "danger" call, does it sound like somebody letting the air out of a balloon? It makes me laugh every time
Does anybody know if different breeds of roosters crow differently? I have three breeds and they sound similar, but not quite the same. When they were learning to crow, the roosters would stop in mid crow, like they forgot what they were saying. My husband used to say that they didn't know all the words and were trying to remember what came next.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine make a soft trilly sound when they're happy. Reminds me of purring.

If you roll your tongue in your mouth (like a purring sound) mine think it's the ALARM call and they run for cover. (I was trying to purr like them when I figured this one out)

If you want a loud chicken, get a BR. Mine is always Bok bokking at me. I feel like she's chewing me out.

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Quote:

I love it, they forgot what they were saying, ha! I have 2 breeds and the bantams have a higher pitched vocalization whereas the Lavs have a lower register but crow less often-until today that is, one of the Lavs is trying out for American Idol today

but the Err-err-eerrr-eeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr is the same pattern. Does that help?

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Quote:
I make weird noises all the time to keep myself from being bored and one day did some kind of trill and WHEW it freaked the heck outta the chickens! They ran/flew back to the covered area away from me. I wonder what I sounded like, after all, when I was getting ready to process them I asked them who wanted to be dinner and to that they just said, "Give us more cherry tomatoes!" so I don't think they understood. I'll have to remember that about BR's because I love it when they "talk" to me. Now if I start talking back, we have a problem...I think we have a problem...

I love that you said they are chewing you out, haha, so funny! Ugh, non-chicken people must live such empty lives!

 

[farmin'chick]

Some of my ROOS do the egg song! My mom is visiting from the "city" and was entranced the other day when all 200 birds on the place started doing the egg song in ROUNDS all over the farm! She made a recording to take home and play for her friends. And don't you know...NONE of the fakers had laid an egg!

 

[fshinggrl]

My kids are enjoying the chickens a lot more now because they are now doing the egg squat when the kid (4 year old twins) go up to them. They are easier to catch!

 

[vermontgal]

Quote:
The EEerrr noise is the aerial predator alert noise. There is a different alert for ground predators (sounds somewhat similar to the egg song, but more stacatto). With the aerial predator alert the chickens will freeze. With the ground predator alert they crane their necks up high and LOOK.

 

[kathyinmo]

When my roo sounds the alert (one of them), they all run for cover; under the picnic table, in the grape vines, under a lawn chair, etc. It's kinda like they all have an emergency meeting place planned in advance.