Loud Defensive Squawking

[sbhkma]

Oh darn.. we have to use our mind? hoooboy I'm hosed.

 

[rjohns39]

I hear ya, but use your eyes and mind more than your 'like' clicker

ok. busted.

 

[TheFluffyButt]

No owls or weasels even? I too am curious where you and your chickens are located.

It's Australia, but in a quiet neighborhood not far from the city, we have owls, but nothing to fear and dogs are under strict law here.

The other birds that can do harm are your typical magpie's, crows used to come around many years ago, but they don't seem to hang around if they ever do cross this side of town.

No predator's like you'll experience in the states!!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

If nights a moonlit like here, then chickens may be able to see a bad guy. Alarm calls usually differ as a function of what predator is detected. Alarm for owl is very different from that for for fox / raccoon.

Can you elaborate on this for me? I do know with hawks the chickens will whistle softly and freeze, even mid-step. It's charming and sweet, but it does seem to be designed for hawks. It makes sense that freezing still can essentially hide them and make them look like feathered rocks.

With the coyote I remember a quick round of squawking and not much more because it happened so fast.

As for early morning chicken alarms in the coop, this happened for the first time a few days ago. I heard chatter and mad clucking, as if someone had just laid an egg. But no eggs. As I stepped outside I heard a coyote sized crash into the tree line, and when I brought my dogs out, the tracker chihuahua immediately sniffed the entire permitter of the chicken run and coop and stopped at their door.

They have Lexan windows and most likely saw a coyote. The different response to different predators is very interesting!

 

[centrarchid]

Predators on the ground promote a cackling type of alarm and the birds often become flighty so they produce a range of pitches, especially when they try to get away from threat. With owls, they also make a cackling sound although it is more monotone. The chicken scared by owl may cackle when jumping down and trying to find cover in something owl cannot fly through.

Recordings really needed as cackling used to describe sounds associated with egg laying the. The sounds are very different but hard to describe with human language.

 

[TheFluffyButt]

Can you elaborate on this for me? I do know with hawks the chickens will whistle softly and freeze, even mid-step. It's charming and sweet, but it does seem to be designed for hawks. It makes sense that freezing still can essentially hide them and make them look like feathered rocks.

With the coyote I remember a quick round of squawking and not much more because it happened so fast.

As for early morning chicken alarms in the coop, this happened for the first time a few days ago. I heard chatter and mad clucking, as if someone had just laid an egg. But no eggs. As I stepped outside I heard a coyote sized crash into the tree line, and when I brought my dogs out, the tracker chihuahua immediately sniffed the entire permitter of the chicken run and coop and stopped at their door.

They have Lexan windows and most likely saw a coyote. The different response to different predators is very interesting!

Wow very interesting! I thought it was a myth that chickens had different squawks depending on the type of predator that they encounter.

Does anyone have any more information about this;

Or how about any sort of general information about a chickens brawk patterns;

 

[sbhkma]

It's Australia, but in a quiet neighborhood not far from the city, we have owls, but nothing to fear and dogs are under strict law here.

The other birds that can do harm are your typical magpie's, crows used to come around many years ago, but they don't seem to hang around if they ever do cross this side of town.

No predator's like you'll experience in the states!!

There are owls, foxes and hawks in Australia. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they're not there. Foxes are very good at hiding and they love chicken dinner. They also don't mind wandering neighborhoods looking for all-you-can-eat meals. And though dogs are under strict law, they do escape enclosures. Assuming you have nothing to fear from these predators is doing yourself and your chickens a disservice.

 

[lazy gardener]

The following paragraph from this article:

http://www.poultryaustralia.com.au/keeping-poultry

When planning the construction of a chicken run, ensure that predators such as hawks and foxes will be deterred from entering the run. Birds of prey are a major threat in many areas of Australia and are capable of killing most breeds of poultry. The only way to keep your chooks safe from these predators is to enclose their yard with netting. Young birds are also vulnerable to rats and smaller birds such as kookaburras.

Being in an area that is heavily populated with humans does not mean that the predators are not present. You may never see a predator, but they are certainly present. I used to work 3 - 11 shift in the city, and would often see predatory animals prowling about when I was on my way across the parking lot to my car at the end of my shift.

Also, many snakes listed in Australia.

 

[TheFluffyButt]

Also, many snakes listed in Australia.

That's so true, to be honest I completely forgot about snakes!

It could very well be a snake, but it'd be the first one I've seen in my backyard.

How would a chicken react if it was a snake;
Does anyone know their squawking pattern;

Also just out of interest, do chickens attack a snake when they first encounter one;
I'd imagine the chicken would be extremely cautious and on the defense.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[lcwmt]

Not an authority on snakes, or chickens for that matter, and cannot offer more than my personal experience. Many years ago I lived in a place that had nests of rattlesnakes. Between my little cat (who would bring baby headless snakes into the house) and the 4 RIR hens in the yard, those snakes got cleaned out in a season. This is not to say snakes won't eat eggs (some do) or small fluffy chicks, but I have seen free range hens dispatch mice, and snakes.... would they alert to the predator nature of snakes> dunno.