Hi All! New here with a question about an odd sound my hen is making

[CieloAngel]

Hey everyone! I am a semi-new chicken owner (I had a couple a long time ago, but don't remember much about them), and I have a question about a sound one of my hens is making. I have been reading other people's posts about odd sounds, but without an actual audio file, I am not sure if this is the same. It is from my oldest hen, Elsa, who should be pretty close to laying. I am not sure if this is a sound she is making in the absence of a rooster or something worse. I don't think she is hurting as she still seems fine running around the yard and scratching, but I do worry a little about her possibly being egg-bound. Again, though, with her seeming fine otherwise, I don't think so.

I have attached a link to a video of her for you to see the sound she makes. It is just over a minute long, and she does it 3 times in the video. Thank you for looking and I hope I can get this sound figured out.

[VIDEO]

 

[bubra007]

Sounds normal to me, chickens all have their own special little voice...lol!

 

[CieloAngel]

It also makes me nervous because I am worried the neighbors will complain.

 

[Monguire]

Hmmm, time will tell for certain, but my gut tells me that is a cockerel learning how to crow. For comparison, I've uploaded a video from a couple years ago of my Black Australorp's and Buff Orpington's first crow attempts. Not sure exactly how old your babies are, but that comb and wattle looks AWFULLY big and red for a pullet.

In the video, my White Rock pullet (and all the chooks) was just shy of three months old and had no real comb/wattle development yet.

 

[beccaisfirst]

sounds like rooster in the making! I paid for all pullets (layers) paid 6 buck for my aracauna girls...adele sings however adele is now needing a name change...got a full rounded cocka doodle do at about 13 weeks with the beautiful colors and plumage of yep a rooster....and her wattle and comb came in huge very early in life....we live on acres ....the neighbors only complain about my husbands band practice....the chicks love his music..they strut and nod heads in the same beat...but no doodle complaints..yet

 

[Ravynscroft]

She's a hen for sure... just has her own 'quirk' so to speak... I had one that used to walk around and make a loud, weird noise as well... a bit different, but similar... she was just a complainer is all...

 

[kgb6days]

She sounds a lot like a noise my leghorn started making a couple days before she started laying. I'd not worry and watch for eggs

 

[CieloAngel]

No! No rooster Is there any way to tell for sure? I want to keep her, but I don't want my neighbors complaining and making me get rid of all of them. I did ask the store when I got my new pullets if they know of anyone who would take any roosters and not kill them, and they do, but I love her.

Maybe a positive thing pointing toward a hen is that she has been making this sound for close to 2 weeks and it has not changed. There has been no attempts at a "regular" crow.

I believe she is about 4 1/2 months old. We got her and the other two from a feed store a week before Easter. She was a bigger pullet, so she is definitely older than the other two (based on my extensive knowledge of chickens [Ha!]). Anyway, I assume she is a week or two older. The new chicks you see for a moment in the coop I ordered online so I know their ages exactly.

Here is a picture of Elsa when we first got her, and one of all 3 of them together:

Also, Monguire, did you steal my chickens and duplicate them? Aside from your rooster, we have the same chickens (Well, the same as my older, original chickens anyway)

 

[Monguire]

Also, Monguire, did you steal my chickens and duplicate them? Aside from your rooster, we have the same chickens

(Well, the same as my older, original chickens anyway)

LOL...I too was shocked watching your video!. I would have sworn you were recording my Barred Rock and White Rock hens! My Barred has the same quirky fascination with feet...when I sit for a while she'll just come over and stand on them/peck at them for a few minutes before hopping up into my lap.

Time is really the only way to know for sure whether you have a boy or girl...if an egg falls out of her, 100% certain she's a girl! A hen that crows? It is uncommon but not impossible. Dominant hens will sometimes take to crowing in the absence of a flock rooster. Regardless of sex, he/she is BEAUTIFUL! I normally advise folks to add their location to their BYC profile so they can get better regional help. I'm afraid if you do and we live close enough you might wake up to some missing chooks!

 

[CieloAngel]

I live in the New Orleans metro area. It's funny, because most sites say Buff Orpington's are usually the most friendly, but Bubbles (our buff) is the most skiddish. Gerrilynn is definitely the friendliest and tries to eat anything hanging or odd off of our pants and shoes.