Cooing Sussex

needsnewbrain

In the Brooder
8 Years
Apr 9, 2011
17
0
22
So my one speckled Sussex hen (Valerie, about 13 months) does this lovely cluck-cluck-coooo! The last part sounds just like a dove! I adore it. At first I thought she was nowhere near top of the pecking order, until I realized she just doesn't feel the need to assert herself very often (as the two who seem to be second/third are always doing) because everyone KNOWS she's the boss! She also has a more alto voice than my other breeds of hens. Are either of these Sussex traits? Anyway, I searched the forums a few different times to see if anyone else had encountered this lovely cooing, and only came up with one from 2008 as a roo. I guess my questions are these:
Has anyone had any success breeding selecting for sound? I'd love to have a little flock of singing hens (and I DON'T mean the egg song)
I have a feeling it's a mixture, but is this learned or genetic behavior?
If anyone has had a cooing/singing chicken, what breed(s) were they? Was it only ever one, or did you get multiple singers? If multiple, were they related, or raised together, or both?

The cooing roo post:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=705250

Side note: there's a rooster down the hill from us who crows at all times of the day, Valerie and one of the other hens seem to stretch their necks waaaay out and try to peer over everything trying to see the roo! They're boy crazy, lol. I want to get a rooster of my own eventually, but now is not the time.

Also found this thread, very cool: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6276816
 
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So does mine! She is a sweet, sweet chicken too.
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suzzy my speckled sussex doe soft pucks , coos and purrs--
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-and when shes mad or see the neighbours cat----she does this at at at at a t noise like one of the creatures from the movie the grudge----------
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My coronation sussex doesn't coo but she DOES make a shrill brrrrrrRRRRRRRR trill-ing type noise when i step outside. My buff orpington cooed when i talked to her on the nesting box. It was so sweet.
 
My sussex, Cookie, coos as well! It is the highlight of my day when she follows me around the run singing to me :) I too would like to know if this trait can be encouraged in breeding.
 

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