Egg Song! Glorious Egg Song!

[Twinklin]

The egg song gets old fast when you live in a residential neighborhood. I'm always running out there trying to shush them by distracting them with meal worms so they don't tick off the neighbors lol.

 

[mortie]

Yeah I am hoping mine aren't into screaming at the top of their lungs when they lay eggs....if they ever lay eggs...

 

[jaxchic]

Normally, about 30 minutes after a fully developed egg is laid, a new egg is ovulated from the ovary. It is at this time that a hen crackles, not when she lays the hard shelled egg. This delay from oviposition to ovulation allows the bird time (in its natural environment) to get away from the nest before she calls for a mate.

 

[jaxchic]

http://books.google.com/books?id=tc...a=X&ei=ws-2U-KQCYWtyAS1zILgAw&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAw

 

[JeanR]

Baby chicks peep, cheep, different meanings to their voices. "happy flock peeps just for companionship" "I'm cold peeps", or "mom let me under those feathers" "CHEEP CHEEP"--I'm lost or stuck -come get me! And countless other voices of chicks, but mostly in Peep language.

Cockerels may add squeaks or baby crowing very early--or not until getting adolescent. And they start talking to their sibling boys in voice changing squawks and warnings, while softly dragging a wing to impress the pullets. Trial raping can begin, it is not consentual, and I like to separate the cockerels from pullets when this begins! The boys may begin to give battle sounds when this begins??

And Pullets a few weeks before starting to lay, have a change of voice--listen for it--no more peeping, but a "singing" qua, qua, qua, kind of soft. And she may check a darker corner of the coop--or maybe a nest box--mother nature is teaching a new activity. The Egg Song may not be sung for a little while by pullets, but it will be a celebration sound very soon--and our dear old lady hens are the "God Bless America" voices we love to hear--Egg Song, indeed!.

After laying for a while, the EGG "SONG" is "sung" after the egg is layed! Actually, it is a "rock" song and is a CACKLE--a great sound to hear! And of course, our birds have lots other voices to let us know what is going on. Hawk, get away from me or my chicks, happy to see you. etc. etc.
......time to let those birds out on green grass...and hear a happy sound.

 

[RezChamp]

First time I heard the egg song, I freaked out!!!!

Day after I got my first flock of 5 adult hens, 4 pullets and 1 rooster, I hear this VERY loud, multi-voiced ruckus and went tearing out to the coop thinking something was killing my new chickens....all the hens, and the rooster standing on the roost board, were singing the egg song at top volume. Cracked me up!! Still does sometimes.

Much less amusing is the very loud, crabby complaining of a hen impatient for what I think is probably a particular already occupied nest. Geeeeessshh!

I kind of chuckle when prospective chicken keepers living in the city anticipate noise complaint problems from roosters crowing....they have no idea how loud hens can be!

Oh. OK. That's "egg song". Duh me!!!
After all the descriptions I've read here this one FINALLY hit me. LOL
Yeah eh, it's amusing. After 50+ years it still gets a chuckle out of me.
For you newer chicken raisers/ppl,.... I still quietly stand a short distance from (or sometimes sit in the shade of a tree or one of the coops) and just watch & listen. You newbies are in for it because it don't get old. It actually gets better.

A month or so ago I stated in my intro I left the country life to make a life for myself in the "real world" only to find out I had left "me" in the country.
So here I am, back in the bush and swamp(boreal not Louisianna type) barely any cash, stay home 24/7/350. Although I do go to town or even the city once in awhile I can't wait to get back to my big red house at the swamp/bush interface,... close to my animals
I now own 63 chickens(all chicks) 18 Peking ducklings, 9 BBB turkeys, 1 Appaloosa stallion, 1 Shetland stallion, 13 huskies, 4 racing dogs, 10 different breeds of pigeons to a total of about +or-150.
Yup, almost an addiction. I digress, it is definitely an addiction. Newbies beware.......
"Egg song" ,... Yup, addicting

 

[RezChamp]

I don't believe I've heard the egg song, but I came home today from being away for 9 days and this was waiting for me, still warm. I have two 17 1/2 week Black Australorp, four 17 1/2 week Buff Orpingtons, five 16 1/2 week Rhode Island Red, and five 16 1/2 week Cuckoo Marans .

Right on. Happy for you. Nice one. By the sounds of it the bug bit you eh.

 

[pcdawn2000]

So exciting!!! I just got my 6 girls 4 days ago!! LOVE them already!! I have named 4 of them, cant figure out names for the last 2 but soon!! I spend my mornings sitting out in my lawn chair with my coffee chatting with them!! My hubby just grins at me...LOL
they are almost 13 weeks old so I got a few weeks to go before I hear the "song" but so excited! they are 2 barred rocks (Betty & Wilma) and a Cockoo Moran (Henrietta, she seems to have taken the role of head hen) then there is Goldie who is a Welsummer, and the the last 2 are partridge rocks which I cant figure out a name for yet...I think with a few more mornings with them I will get it!! LOL.

Any tips on how to get them to NOT run when I step in the run area, they seem skidish and I don't want it that way I want them to trust me completely...I talk to them every time I am out near them so they can get used to my voice. I can toss some grapes in but they wont come out from under the coop till I step out of the run and close the door!

BTW I love this forum! so much info!! And VERY helpful ppl!!!

Thanks

 

[Blooie]

So exciting!!! I just got my 6 girls 4 days ago!! LOVE them already!! I have named 4 of them, cant figure out names for the last 2 but soon!! I spend my mornings sitting out in my lawn chair with my coffee chatting with them!! My hubby just grins at me...LOL
they are almost 13 weeks old so I got a few weeks to go before I hear the "song" but so excited! they are 2 barred rocks (Betty & Wilma) and a Cockoo Moran (Henrietta, she seems to have taken the role of head hen) then there is Goldie who is a Welsummer, and the the last 2 are partridge rocks which I cant figure out a name for yet...I think with a few more mornings with them I will get it!! LOL.

Any tips on how to get them to NOT run when I step in the run area, they seem skidish and I don't want it that way I want them to trust me completely...I talk to them every time I am out near them so they can get used to my voice. I can toss some grapes in but they wont come out from under the coop till I step out of the run and close the door!

BTW I love this forum! so much info!! And VERY helpful ppl!!!

Thanks

Best tip for that is time. When you meet someone for the first time, how often do you instantly become best friends and trust completely? Put a small stool in there and sit quietly while they stare at the grapes.....they'll inch their way out to grab them. It's all baby steps.

 

[acemario]

How ironic! Today I woke up and ran a 15 K Freedom Run. When I got home I could hear a hen going wild in the back. Sure enough... I went and checked and I have a new egg. Gotta love that egg announcement!