Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Cass]

My hens don't sing the egg song. None of them. Now ask me about the roosters?

The other day all THREE roos were singing the egg song. I thought that they were sounding an alarm, so I went out to check and chase off the threat. Nope. No threat to be seen, so I asked them "which one of you laid an egg?" and when they didn't answer I went down to the coop and sure enough, there was an egg in the nest box. How the roosters knew, I can't tell you, but they did and didn't stop singing the egg song until I showed them the egg.

Then the biggest black one strutted off like he laid it himself.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Daisy8s,

There is absolutely nothing wrong in gifting erstwhile needy people with culls. Nothing in the world. I've butchered more chickens in my life than ..... well, it's in the thousands. Still, with so many folks I know who need the meat? Giving them live birds and allowing them the dignity of preparing their chickens? Yup. It's just a fine, fine thing to do. I now gift the vast majority of my culls.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

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[BarredBuff]

What are some ways to encourage broodiness in chickens? I have the breeds too (Dominique, Black Australorps, and Buff Orpingtons)

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

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That is a very wonderful gesture, and I am sure they appreciated your gift.

 

[scottcaddy]

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Well-now I don't 'bout old and all of that. I'm a '51 model myself <BG> not old yet, but getting a bit stiff in the knees on a cold morning.

 

[Fred's Hens]

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Either her hormones go off or they don't. "Making" or even "trying to make" them go broody is pretty much a waste of time, in my book. Or, buy a Silke or something akin.

 

[centrarchid]

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Somebody needs to post a quality egg song recording and maybe examples of chicken vocalizations in general. It is becoming evident many if not most poultry keepers do not recognize them or fail to take into account context in which they are made.

 

[NYREDS]

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Works well here in NY as well. I too follow Fred's "medication" recommendation.

 

[Cass]

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Somebody needs to post a quality egg song recording and maybe examples of chicken vocalizations in general. It is becoming evident many if not most poultry keepers do not recognize them or fail to take into account context in which they are made.

Oh, I knew exactly what the sound they were making meant. I also knew it wasn't a hen making it, cuz I recognized the raspy sound of one of the roos voices. Hense my misunderstanding WHY they were making so much noise, in unision.

It was definately the egg song, sung by roos, in harmony. And they were right, there was an egg. What I want to know is how did the ROOS know there was an egg in the up high nest box?
For that matter, why were they announcing it's arrival, and not the hen that needed the Prep H singing the song?