Loud Clucking ??

[cj7795]

My first question is ... What is the difference between a "pullet" & a "hen" ?? Second question ... Why does my 18 week old stand out in the run & loudly cluck while my 20 week old is in the coop laying her egg? She (the 18 week old) stops as soon as the 20 week old comes back out into the run after laying her egg

 

[sumi]

Female chickens over 1 year old are known as hens and younger females as pullets, but in the egg-laying industry a pullets becomes a hen as soon as she starts laying eggs.

Your second question is difficult to answer though. Have you got only the 2 chickens? Is the 18-week-old laying or showing signs of laying yet?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hens and roosters are over a year old. Pullets and cockerels are under a year.

Q2 - people refer to it as the egg song. In jungle fowl, the flock continues to forage when a hen runs to the nest to lay an egg. When she's done they are out of sight so she calls out "HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?"
And they answer "HERE WE ARE." - the egg song.

To this day they do it even when standing in the same coop, old habits are hard to break.
That's also the reason it's the loudest call the hens make.

 

[cj7795]

ChickenCanoe - Thank you so much for your info ... it is very helpful!
Sumi - yes, we only have to 2 pullets ... the 18-week-old may be getting ready to lay her 1st egg today because my 20-week-old pullet is out there right now clucking loudly (like the 18-week-old one has been doing) & the 20-week-old has never done that before

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They'll continue it the rest of their lives.