Chickens sound like they are growling. Whats up

[BroodyMama2]

Funny, I came on the forum tonight to ask a question about the growling described here, but thought I'd search the topic first to see if anyone else mentioned it already. I love to try and understand my chickens' language so I can better care for them. As one poster on here described, when my girls did this low volume long growl noise, today, they were totally still and alert, looking in one direction for a long time. It definitely seems like an alert. The first time we ever heard it was yesterday (they are 13 wks old now), coming from our Delaware. The only response from any of the other girls was our Buff Orp freezing and getting her neck feathers all ruffled. It didn't look like a challenge between the two though. This morning, our Speckled Sussex made the noise as she was standing at the pop door ready to come outside. She was very cautious about coming out, but finally did and then all was normal. Then this afternoon, ALL the birds were under the coop, frozen, staring, alert and all making that growl. So strange. My first thought was that they heard or saw something that spooked them. They were definitely more jumpy than usual. A couple times one of the dogs barked at who knows what. The sound of a neighbor or something, and they all jumped and ran. They usually don't react to the dogs at all. I watched them do this for a long time, all the while looking around to see if I could see anything that may be scaring them. There is a stray cat that keeps checking them out (They are totally safe in a very well fortified run). Maybe he was lurking somewhere. -- Anyone else have any insight into this sound?

 

[ghenny penny]

I got some young chickens 12-14 wks up to just under 8 months. 5 pullets to be exact and one rooster. The rooster crows as expected , as he is older but my question is this. I had some red layers and white ones last year. Just typical feed store hatchlings. These ones are Americauna mix. Just picked them up 2 days ago. Now they were free range so not used to being cooped up. Somebody but not the roo is making a sort of guttural chicken sounding growl.. Almost like a ticked off chicken growl.My other layers last year I never heard before. The grey ones if you stroke their backs they do that squat and wing thing I saw before, a sign of imminent laying will begin. Thats normal. But this isn`t what I expect to hear from their coop. They are in quarantine so by the time I open the door to their coop they all look stupidly at me as if to say `What you looking at`. we weren`t doing anything``I also wonder if it a breed thing with Americaunas. Has anybody heard this vocal behavior before. Oh here they are as soon as I got home.

mine all froze stiff in the yard side by side one day with their heads tilted looking up. they all started growling. moments later a hawk flew overhead.

 

[WthrLady]

The clasic "pretend to be a tree stump" ruse.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

One of my chickens growls at me whenever she doesn't like something. It was the first time she saw snow today and she didn't like it so she growled at me and cussed me. When I didn't stop it snowing she stuck her head down & stomped into the covered run shouting and cursing.

I can almost see it...

 

[Giulia]

It's very windy outside and things are banging around and my indoor chicken is growling her head off! Lol

 

[Lahs]

Anyone heard a chicken sneeze?

I thought I did.

 

[WthrLady]

Oh yes. Squeaky sneezes.

 

[NewBoots]

I also have a couple of new Icelandics that sound like extras from a jurassic park moving .

How did we never realize they were dinosaurs before?