Groaning?

[Balloonjuice]

My whole flock (24 individuals) do some clucking, and of course the almost daily "An Egg! look look look," but they also seem to spend a lot of their time just wandering about making a sound I can only best describe as "moaning" or "groaning." They do not sound distressed at all, but it is an odd sound -- or at least one I thought they would have grown out of by now.

Is this a common chicken sound?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Chickens make a range of noises - many people think of them only as clucking and/or crowing, but there is actually quite a complex range of communication noises they use, and a groan is one of them. I quite enjoy spending time with my flock listening to the various sounds and seeing the reactions that those sounds elicit from the other birds as I try to sort out what the various sounds "mean" in chicken speak. They are much more complex creatures than most give them credit for once you start really watching the dynamics of their little chicken society.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, the sound has been common for them almost since I moved them out of the brooder (cheep cheep) and into the hen house. But, like the cheeps they made as chicks, I thought this would be one they would "outgrow." Glad to hear my ladies are not behind in development. The sound I characterized as groaning seems to be their "go-to" sound right now. And you are exactly right about different sound and different reactions during the day. They make an altogether different sound when one of them has found something especially good to eat (we feed them tomato scraps as a treat). And within seconds, they have lots of company making a "move over for me" sound. It is kind of fun. Of course my favorite is still their boasting of having laid an egg.

Thanks again for the help.