Noises roosters make.. a question about meaning

[ninny]

Maybe you could get him a big bossy hen for a friend. I had a rir hen who would beat up the cats.

 

[speckledhen]

They tend to do the warning whine for aerial danger and a loud disturbed clucking for danger on the ground, like a dog or other predator.

 

[Lobzi]

Quote:
That is what I need, that or rooster to put him in his place. Roo is a faverolle and he is too sweet and nice for his own good. HP is just a little fellow. Flies well though, especially when CHickie is chasing him.

 

[Lobzi]

Quote:
He makes this particular sound sometime when I talk to him. I just not sure it is the same danger/warning sound you are talking about. It is a long, cry-like sound. I swear, he can continue for a minute without taking a breathe. It is continuous for the whole time he is producing it and the same note.

 

[speckledhen]

Dont underestimate him being able to see the skies and warn, even while you are holding him. My handicapped rooster, Zane, has done that often, even when I was holding him or he could see out the window.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
The article in Backyard Poultry magazine which I mentioned suggested that the egg song is an attempt by the hen to draw egg predators away from her nest. Maybe the roo is assisting her in distracting predators? I dunno.

 

[Lobzi]

That is really cool about the potential purpose of the egg-laying song. I am convinced that my hen is mad at me for taking her eggs. She moves too a new nest every time I find her present nest and I remove her eggs (the last time I removed 5 eggs she had been laying over the week). Anyway, this morning I found an egg she must have laid last evening in a new place in the pen but not the nest box. I decided to put the egg in one of the nest boxes. One of my roosters discovered the egg and started singing the egg-laying song. It was cute, but I have to say he was standing at the nest as he did so. I hope some day to actually be around when my hen lays so I can see how they all react, first hand.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I wondered the same thing too when I read the article, even asked the hens

if it wouldn't be a better idea to wait until they were actually away from the nest before they started. I do have a few hens that wait until they get out of the coop before they start their song. And yes, I do spend way too much time with my chickens.

 

[Lobzi]

Cute, like I mentioned, I ask Chickie "what is wrong" but he doesnt tell me. I dont spend ENOUGH time with my chickens.... to suit me that is. I spend too much time with them to suit my DBF.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Quote:
The article in Backyard Poultry magazine which I mentioned suggested that the egg song is an attempt by the hen to draw egg predators away from her nest. Maybe the roo is assisting her in distracting predators? I dunno.

I agree. This is valid, just as the roo 'Singing along with the hen' is also true. We never really know a chicken's motivations for anything. It's all just guess and check. The hen could be saying, "Yay! I laid an egg! I'm special! I layed an egg and you didn't, so now I'm going to show off because I can!" The roo could be cackling along to say, "Hey, look at you! You layed an egg! I'm going to celebrate with you! Yay for you! Look at me, I can cackle also! Cackle!"

Although, as much of a dramatic reanactment as this is, it probably isn't exactly like this.

I do agree with the 'self-sacrafice' thing though. I've heard this myself. Chickens can be more brave and less 'chicken' than we give them credit for.