Is my hen CRYING?

[moenmitz]

I have a 25 week old Silver Wyandotte hen that is making an awful, non-stop noise tonight. Sounds just like a cat yowling, only softer. It is constant and almost sounds like she is crying. I am worried she is in pain. I do not know if she has started laying yet-she is in with 35 others and I dont know which ones are giving us the 7-8 eggs a day so far. She is walking normal, eating and drinking, not squatting or acting like she has an egg stuck or anything. When you pick her up and stroke her, she quiets down some, not completely. Been going on for about 30 minutes or so (well, that was when I went out to do chores and noticed it, she may have been doing it all afternoon for all I know.) Any ideas?

 

[moenmitz]

anyone?

 

[PurpleChicken]

Watch her. Some hens are very vocal, especially when they see their
owners. I have a few that whine and whine and whine. It's probably
normal. They usually start doing it between 4 months and 1 year.

If you can get a video I could tell you for sure.

 

[justusnak]

I have a Buff Orp, does the same thing...hence her name.. " Cry Baby" She will BAWL when she see's me coming...and untill I am out of sight. Some hens are just move vocal than others I guess. I hope this is all that is wrong with yours....being a " cry baby"

 

[moenmitz]

Well, she settled down by 10 pm, so I dont know what the deal was. I dont think it had to do with me, as we don't spend much time "socializing" with the girls, and they dont really like us much unless we have food in our hands, in which case we are all best friends!

 

[Jena]

Hi,

I don't know if your girl is a cry baby or not, but I have only 4 chickens in my garden and they are amazingly quiet as a rule.

Even my neighbour has commented how quiet they are, and I did note that you said you were not sure if she is laying yet or not. Well I have one girl who has been laying for nearly 2 weeks now and yesterday I knew another was coming close. Thanks to the tips on this site I am learning how to spot it.

Well I had been back and fore yesterday into the garden and late in the afternoon I went out to hear a very loud frenetic cluck cluck clucking coming from the coup. I looked in the run, and the only one missing was Sarah, so I assumed she was making her first attempt to lay.

I felt so sorry for her it was like listening to real childbirth, but she finally got there and came out of the coup like a rat up a drain pipe, and straight into the nice fresh veg they had been given for a treat.

I checked and she had laid a nice egg, and was feeling very proud of herself it seems. I don't know if it being a first time she was having some problems or just being triumphant, but she was the golden girl yesterday, and i am so proud of her.

But as they are usually so quiet I must admit I had a real chuckle in the evening recalling her very loud vocalisation. She was really going for it.

So maybe your girl is having a trial run or something, but time will tell.

I am now listening to see if this is going to be a regular alarm from Sarah, very different from Rachel who lays early in the day and in silence....lol.

Best of luck, they are all individuals. Just like us.

Jena.