How did your flock annoy you today?

[GApeachmama]

I’m reactivating this. That d*mn EE born in May still hasn’t lain a single egg. For that matter I’m not sure how many of these heifers are laying eggs since the days are short.

 

[BDutch]

There are many different types of EE. Crossed with all kind of other breeds and backyard mutts. Don’t give up yet, wait till next spring.

 

[tlcmurphy]

I wonder if something startled them. Sometimes when my girls are startled (for example, when Gytha sees a squirrel ), they'll do a call that sounds just like the egg song. Like, hey, come help me, there's a weird thing over here that I'm not so sure about! And occasionally the others will get worked up enough that they join in.

Then again I think they sometimes do it just because they can...

It’s not an egg song, it’s a call for an escort (rooster/human) to come take them to safety. @Shadrach has an excellent article.

 

[TOMTE]

It’s not an egg song, it’s a call for an escort (rooster/human) to come take them to safety. @Shadrach has an excellent article.

Yup, I'm aware. I put that together pretty early on, when she first started doing it. It's funny, it sounds almost exactly like when they lay an egg and call for an escort, but there's definitely more urgency to it. I love learning all of the different sounds they make and why!

 

[GApeachmama]

There are many different types of EE. Crossed with all kind of other breeds and backyard mutts. Don’t give up yet, wait till next spring.

Sigh. I’ll try to be more patient. She was making sounds that sounded like an egg song back and forth with another one of the ladies over the weekend. I think that what got me riled up again.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Had to pull one hen from our group of five and put her in with the group of four because she was being attacked and they were ripping feathers off of her. She's a sweet girl, one of our most friendly. I don't know why that just started up. Molting? Hot temps in December?

We built a little apartment for her in the pen of four yesterday because those hens haven't lived with her in months. There has been a little posturing across the hardware cloth but mostly they're ignoring each other, which is fine. She is eating, drinking, pooping, and grooming herself normally, and seems content.

Why can't our chickens get along? I will never understand this level of drama and keep wondering what we've done wrong.

 

[GApeachmama]

Had to pull one hen from our group of five and put her in with the group of four because she was being attacked and they were ripping feathers off of her. I don't know why that just started up. Molting? Hot temps in December?

We built a little apartment for her in the pen of four yesterday because those hens haven't lived with her in months. There has been a little posturing across the hardware cloth but mostly they're ignoring each other, which is fine. She is eating, drinking, pooping, and grooming herself normally, and seems content.

Why can't our chickens get along? I will never understand this level of drama and keep wondering what we've done wrong.

That sucks so much. I’m glad you caught it before it went too far.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I’m reactivating this. That d*mn EE born in May still hasn’t lain a single egg. For that matter I’m not sure how many of these heifers are laying eggs since the days are short.

One of our EEs was the very last to start laying, I think she was eight or nine months old when she finally started. Hang in there!

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Why are our black Australorps so skittish? We handle them every day just like all of our flock. We're so gentle yet they react like we're trying to kill them. If I were walking past on the street and heard them screeching like that I'd think someone was doing something really awful to their chickens.

Yesterday I tried to pick up our big Australorp just for a second and she screeched and slipped her large wings out of my hands and beat them so hard against the ground she kicked up a huge wave of dirt and dried poop all over me. It got in my hair and my eyes. I couldn't see! It was awful. I had to go inside and change my clothes and take a shower to get it all off of me. What in the heck?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Why are our black Australorps so skittish? We handle them every day just like all of our flock. We're so gentle yet they react like we're trying to kill them. If I were walking past on the street and heard them screeching like that I'd think someone was doing something really awful to their chickens.

Yesterday I tried to pick up our big Australorp just for a second and she screeched and slipped her large wings out of my hands and beat them so hard against the ground she kicked up a huge wave of dirt and dried poop all over me. It got in my hair and my eyes. I couldn't see! It was awful. I had to go inside and change my clothes and take a shower to get it all off of me. What in the heck?

Could she be molting, even in just a few spots? The pin feathers are painful from what I’ve read.