hens making a lot of commotion

[tudlytops]

We have 10 hens and 2 cockerels that get on just fine...

Every so often the whole lot goes nuts, they all start making all this noise and commotion, at first I though something was scaring them, but there's nothing, they are going about their business but making a whole load of noise, even the ones inside the coops join in the commotion..

It really sounds like something horrible is going on, but there is nothing...

Any ideas

 

[Happy Chooks]

Does it sound like this --------> bok bok bok bok BAGAWWWWWWK? (or something close to that)

If so, that's the egg song. Most hens do some variation of the egg song. It means your hen has laid an egg or is thinking about laying an egg. And it can be VERY loud.

 

[Patricia Jane]

I heard mine do the egg song just today. They can get quite vocal. Brings a smile to my face and a chuckle. Not quite sure if it's to announce their egg or if it's painfull.

 

[tudlytops]

Thank you so much...

Each time it happened, there i was running outside to see if something was wrong...


We have 5 to 6 eggs a day, so i guess that's a lot of singing.....

 

[nuchickontheblock]

sometimes, they'll sing as a chorus, just to get in on the action!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i have one hen that will lay an egg then talk about it for hours. Then when a broody comes off the nest they let out a sound like they're being killed. It's pretty noisy most of the time outside, with 43 chickens. It's good to get to know their sounds so you know when something is wrong.

 

[tudlytops]

Quote:
That is exactly what they are doing...being new at this i though something was wrong....

 

[gryeyes]

It doesn't help that the "Alarm! Alarm! Something's Wrong!" call is exactly the same as the Egg Song, only more urgently, a slightly different cadence. And it doesn't start off softly, "Bok bok bok bok bok bok buh-GAWK!..." but breaks out immediately with "BOK BOK BOK BOK BUH-GAWWK! BUH-GAWK! BUH-GAWK!"

Before too long, you'll be able to tell the difference.

 

[chickintexas]

Quote:
ITA! I had a roo cornered under the house by my puppy. I was in the bedroom at the time and heard the birds calling out. I knew by their tone that something wasn't right. Sure enough, my poor roo had lost a few feathers but not his life. I had caught the drama just in time just because of their calls.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
So true!

My roosters (separate coops) went bonkers a couple weeks ago, and DH and I were outside. He looked at me and said you have a chicken fight. I said that's NO fight and went running to the coops. I got up there just in time to see a fox running along outside the run. The roosters did their jobs wonderfully and had all the hens in hiding. We counted everyone, and all of them were there. (phew)