Chickens won't stop squawking loudly for no apparent reason

[Battlepants]

In my experience, some hens are just noisy, especially around egg time. Not really anything that can be done to quiet them down, but you can mitigate how far their voice travels - lots of bushes and trees around the coop and run area helps a lot. Especially try to get some evergreens in there so you still get some sound dampening in the winter too.

But yea, I've heard two theories on why they are noisy like this:
-To make noise away from the egg area to draw predators to them and not the egg
-To draw the other hens to a specific place to lay and form a clutch for someone to later hatch out

 

[naytay]

I seriously thought my chickens were in pain!! But no !! they are very happy and proud their delivery

 

[Bobmc914]

In my experience, some hens are just noisy, especially around egg time. Not really anything that can be done to quiet them down, but you can mitigate how far their voice travels - lots of bushes and trees around the coop and run area helps a lot. Especially try to get some evergreens in there so you still get some sound dampening in the winter too.

But yea, I've heard two theories on why they are noisy like this:
-To make noise away from the egg area to draw predators to them and not the egg
-To draw the other hens to a specific place to lay and form a clutch for someone to later hatch out

I have heard a third; that it is an escort call for the rooster to escort the hen to the nest area and/or back to the flock.

 

[Chickys mum]

I know this is 12 years old.... Not sure if you're still poking around on here. But how did this ever play out? Did you have to rehome them? I am in the same predicament.

Am having same issue with my rescued hen who's 11 month old. She makes this high pitched sounds as if she's hungry or looking for other chicken's. Because chickens aren't allowed in apartments, I can only have her as long as she doesn't attract my neighbours attention. She pecks abit of her food and makes the shrill noises as if she's crying. This happens few times a day and even if I carry her in my arms. Can anyone please share what's wrong with my little girl? Thanks!

 

[Battlepants]

Am having same issue with my rescued hen who's 11 month old. She makes this high pitched sounds as if she's hungry or looking for other chicken's. Because chickens aren't allowed in apartments, I can only have her as long as she doesn't attract my neighbours attention. She pecks abit of her food and makes the shrill noises as if she's crying. This happens few times a day and even if I carry her in my arms. Can anyone please share what's wrong with my little girl? Thanks!

Is she the only chicken in the group? She might be lonely and looking to socialize. It's ideal to keep them in groups, but some chickens can't exist with others for various reasons. A workaround would be to get her a mirror to look at, but ideally, I would try to get her a friend.

 

[Chickys mum]

Is she the only chicken in the group? She might be lonely and looking to socialize. It's ideal to keep them in groups, but some chickens can't exist with others for various reasons. A workaround would be to get her a mirror to look at, but ideally, I would try to get her a friend.

Yes she's the only chicken and I can't get another because chickens aren't allowed in apartments. I tried putting a mirror in front of her and she didn't want to look at it.

 

[Battlepants]

Yes she's the only chicken and I can't get another because chickens aren't allowed in apartments. I tried putting a mirror in front of her and she didn't want to look at it.

What does her living space look like?
-Is she able to get sun?
-Does she have a place to dust bathe and a place to scratch and peck?
-Does she have a nestbox to go to for egg time? Is she laying?

I assume, being an indoor chicken, she is wearing a diaper.
-Does the diaper fit properly? Any feather damage from the straps?
-Is the diaper being changed frequently enough?

As for feed.
-What kind of food is being provided?
-Is she being allowed free access to food? Or restricted to a schedule?

 

[Chickys mum]

What does her living space look like?
-Is she able to get sun?
-Does she have a place to dust bathe and a place to scratch and peck?
-Does she have a nestbox to go to for egg time? Is she laying?

I assume, being an indoor chicken, she is wearing a diaper.
-Does the diaper fit properly? Any feather damage from the straps?
-Is the diaper being changed frequently enough?

As for feed.
-What kind of food is being provided?
-Is she being allowed free access to food? Or restricted to a schedule?

Unfortunately she sleeps in a cage with a yoga mat as the base because Chicky has curled toes and one of her legs is bent backwards... she moves on her hocks which is why we place a mat for her to move on to avoid making her legs more splayed. As a result of moving on her hocks, she gers abrasion. There is usually morning sun from my kitchen window and I let her sit there to sun bathe. About 3 times a week, I'd bring her down to the park below to scratch and bathe in the sand and soil, as we don't have much space in the apartment for a sand box.
She doesn't wear diapers either... I just clean up after her.
Chicky is a fussy eater... I give her layer feed with some water to make it slightly mushy. Recently the vet gave her some powdered feed to make sure she's getting the nutrition which she might not get if she doesn't eat properly from her daily feed. I have both feeds placed for her to eat anytime she wants to. But she's so busy preening herself that I have to bring her to her food. These past few days, she'd take a few pecks of her food and start making those high pitched sounds.
Another thread here has their hen and rooster making the same sound... someone said that was a happy sound. I'm confused. I took a video of her but can't seem to be able to share it in this thread.

 

[Battlepants]

Another thread here has their hen and rooster making the same sound... someone said that was a happy sound. I'm confused. I took a video of her but can't seem to be able to share it in this thread.

By my understanding, this forum only accepts pictures, which isn't hugely useful for this case. People typically upload their video to youtube and link to it on this forum.

Alternatively, do you have a link to the video that you found on here?

 

[Chickys mum]

By my understanding, this forum only accepts pictures, which isn't hugely useful for this case. People typically upload their video to youtube and link to it on this forum.

Alternatively, do you have a link to the video that you found on here?

Here's the link to the video in the other thread. I'll try to upload my video to YouTube. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ou-heard-it-before-what-does-it-mean.1527547/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...metimes-makes-this-crying-noise-help.1506949/