Does anyone speak "chicken"?

[Ruth Ann]

I know a couple things mine say...but mostly they say the same thing when I walk
past their coop or run...
Where is my snack momma??
Did you bring us something to eat momma??
Are there anymore snacks today momma??

Giggles

 

[Tanichca]

the only chicken words i know are "calm down" and "I am the boss, no pecking me!".... im working on "time to eat"

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Mine are cussing at me . Don't think I want to know more....

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I know quite a few chicken "words" and can mimic some of them to get the results I want. (When I was younger my friends and I used to work the chickens into a frenzy doing the "PANIC MODE!" call, but now we're a bit more considerate, haha.)

I know a few different "I'm content/happy" sounds, "Where are you?", "Aerial predator!", "Land predator!", "I'm a rooster and found a treat for the hens," egg song of course, mating call, "I want something!", "Cut that out!", and a lot of others. I know scientists have identified something like forty different chicken noises (I'm certain there are more, or subtle nuances we don't understand), so it's just a matter of watching the chickens a lot to learn what each noise means. After a while, hearing the same noises in the same situations, you start to pick up on what they mean.

 

[WV_Chicken]

I speak chicken but can't translate it for you. I speak to my chickens in chicken talk and also in english, so I guess I speak chicklish or chenglish.

 

[gingerpeach22]

I looked around for the meaning of chicken language. Here's a link to a Google page with a number of likely looking leads:
http://www.google.com/search?q=chic...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

 

[J.Pryce]

AKsmama, My White Leghorn roo crows whenever I open the door to walk into the coop. It can be pitch black dark outdoors, if I get in late from a meeting & make a final check of the group 10-11 pm, & this knucklehead starts flapping his wings & crows. It must be hard for the hens to sleep while he's crowing. Kinda like my wife with my so called snoring. Funny though I stayed up one night to listen & I didn't hear myself snore.

 

[azygous]

This past summer, when I had just gotten six new baby chicks, I was astonished to hear one three-day old peep out the identical five-note phrase that I'd been used to hearing when the adult chickens noticed my cat approaching. The five notes are constant, except for a lilt or accent on the third note.

Just to make certain I wasn't imagining things, I later tried it with another baby. I called my cat into the room, and that chick immediately piped out the exact same five-note phrase with the accent on the third note. Peep-peep-PEEP-peep-peep!" (Here comes the cat!)

When I approach, they announce my presence with a similar five-note phrase, but there is NO accent, just five straight notes. "Bock-bock-bock-bock-bock!" (Here comes the human!")

It blew me away to discover that chickens, not only have language, but they have it from birth, and they have syntax! (Being able to form a phrase)

One rooster phrase I'd sure like to have translated for me goes: "nnnnnuh-YUH!" It seems to mean, "Don't mess with me!" At least when I repeat it back to him, he goes all ballistic. It's kind of fun pushing his buttons.

When I'm snuggling one of my lap hens in my arms, she will murmur, "Hmm-heh!". And I'll reply, "I love you, too!"

 

[gingerpeach22]

Time Magazine had an article about chicken talk in the zoology section>here it is. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,875688-1,00.html

 

[gryeyes]

I "liked" that article. ;-)