Our chickens are 17.5 weeks old. Our wellie actually has moderately well-developed waddles and comb and is more red than pink, but all others have pinkish and small combs/waddles. None of have laid or shown any signs of doing so...until yesterday?
It was getting to be about roosting time for the flock (they were all out in the yard), and our BR, who is typically the first to roost, was heading into the run towards the coop. On her way, she took a detour up onto a small stack of empty cardboard boxes and knocked them over. Not surprisingly, it scared the crap out of her. She squawked, flapped, and bolted to the other four (standing nearby)...and then madness ensued.
As she ran into the group, the BA and EE puffed up and started flopping around in circles...the BA "bokbokbokbokbok"ing her beak off and then she very loudly BAGOK-KED(sp?) - she never did that before, but then she continued to circle the rest of the milling flock and "bokbokbokbokbokBAGOKbokbobbok" and in an instant the wellie was "BAGOKBAGOKBAGOKBAGOKBAGOK"ing all over the place and the other three took up the BA's bokBAGOKs while they all just circled and milled in place.
It went on for about a minute, though it seemed like forever with all of the noise they were making! We have never heard them do this before, and they have never ever been that loud. I'm not complaining, but what the heck happened? Was that the egg song (sounded like every recording/vid/other people's chickens I've ever heard of it) or were they inordinately freaked out by the boxes? ...or did the boxes jar something loose in their chicken brains?
It was getting to be about roosting time for the flock (they were all out in the yard), and our BR, who is typically the first to roost, was heading into the run towards the coop. On her way, she took a detour up onto a small stack of empty cardboard boxes and knocked them over. Not surprisingly, it scared the crap out of her. She squawked, flapped, and bolted to the other four (standing nearby)...and then madness ensued.
As she ran into the group, the BA and EE puffed up and started flopping around in circles...the BA "bokbokbokbokbok"ing her beak off and then she very loudly BAGOK-KED(sp?) - she never did that before, but then she continued to circle the rest of the milling flock and "bokbokbokbokbokBAGOKbokbobbok" and in an instant the wellie was "BAGOKBAGOKBAGOKBAGOKBAGOK"ing all over the place and the other three took up the BA's bokBAGOKs while they all just circled and milled in place.
It went on for about a minute, though it seemed like forever with all of the noise they were making! We have never heard them do this before, and they have never ever been that loud. I'm not complaining, but what the heck happened? Was that the egg song (sounded like every recording/vid/other people's chickens I've ever heard of it) or were they inordinately freaked out by the boxes? ...or did the boxes jar something loose in their chicken brains?
