I have 3 lovely girls, all different breeds (Danish breeds, as I live in Denmark), and they have been very good at keeping themselves busy. We make sure they always have food, that are healthy for them, and lots of water to drink, so they can have at it whenever they want. But lately we have been getting lots of complaining from them they can sometimes "scream" for what seems like hours (a bit exaggerated due to stress caused by having neighbors living close up against us, and we don't like being a pain to them). We have no idea what is causing this, they have a lot of room to roam in, they have each other's company, they always have food and fresh water. Could they be bored? If so, how do I keep them entertained, without being out there with them constantly? I hope someone has knowledge about this, as I just want my girls to be happy! Side note: they are 7 months plus some days old, and are all laying, 5-6 days a week. Edit: they are roaming, pecking grass while they are "screaming", not hiding from anything that might have scared them.
Hens can be very noisy...some more than others. It's not necessarily 'complaining' or 'unhappiness'. If you've gotten them into the habit of coming out with treats/attention when they are noisy then.......they may have you trained...lol. I found that a few of my pullets made a lot of ruckus for what seemed like hours during the first couple months of laying then quieted down a bit once they got their routines down. But it can be intermittent with older hens too.
Of course we give them scraps and treats, but we never give in when they "whine" (scream). Because we don't want them to think they can just go crazy and we will spoil them! I just don't hope something is wrong with them, they even do it while we're in the garden with them, sometimes, so I really have no idea what to do or what might be wrong
As long as they are getting a balanced nutrition and hydration, have plenty of space, seem active, have normal poops, are not infested with parasites....they may just be feeling their oats with the excessive vocalizations, it may be because they are just laying for a month or so now. Some hens/pullets are just noisy....folks new to chickens are surprised how noisy they can be not knowing they can be noisier than roosters/cockerels.
Chickens are very much like cattle. As long as either a cow or a chicken is standing and both ends of its digestive system is working properly then it's healthy.
You say they are Danish breeds. Do you know specifically what breed and if that is normal behavior for them. I have several different breeds of chickens and while most of the do a quiet buck-buck-buck plus the "egg song" my Andalusians do scream. they sound like something in pain. The first time I heard them I even grabbed my rifle and ran outside to rescue them.
Some of my hens are incredibly noisy at times, usually if they are hanging around the coop before laying. The noisiest ia an ancona, while my other ancona is quiet. I think they are noisy just because they are happy. I get tickled when people think only roosters are the noisy ones, because some hens can be rowdy.
Thank you all for the replies! I am glad to hear that I shouldn't worry too much about this. It's not the egg song, I have learned what that sounds like, quite fast. They are all eating, drinking and pooping properly, so I'll take that as a "not to worry" sign. I just hope they are not unhappy or bored and that I could be doing something different all along!
I found this to be most informative, I love reading the posts, good luck with your noisy little chicks I don't have my chickens yet so everything is a learning experience for me, hope your chickens quieten down