So, I have a small flock of 8 birds, hopefully all hens (we had one suspected roo, but sadly we lost him last week to disease). They are roughly 12 weeks old, 6 Buff Orpington, 2 EEs. Up until the last week, I've been hearing the 'cheep cheep cheep' and coo-ing that I expected to hear from chickens. However, over the last few days, a few of them have been making these sort of trumpet-y rumbling sounds, one manages to make sounds that sound like a crying infant (and can I tell you how stressful that was...thinking someone had abandoned an infant somewhere in the woods...GAAAAHHHH!!!), and this morning one of the EEs made noises that can only be described as growling.
Are these noises normal, and if they are, indicative of anything, like stress or illness? They all seem fine - active and eating, no other odd behavior. Hubby thinks they may be getting ready to lay, but isn't it way too early for that?
Thanks in advance for your wisdom!
Are these noises normal, and if they are, indicative of anything, like stress or illness? They all seem fine - active and eating, no other odd behavior. Hubby thinks they may be getting ready to lay, but isn't it way too early for that?
Thanks in advance for your wisdom!
