Rooster cackling like a hen??

[FryeFarm]

Been waiting for my 12 girls to start laying any day now (one finally started) when I hear the familiar hen cackle of 'hey I just laid an egg!', so I run out to see who it is and lo and behold it's my rooster. He started in and they followed suit cackling back, and yeah no egg by the way. So does anyone else have this go on? And do you know why?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The "egg song" is not truly related solely to laying eggs and is not specific to hens - it's perfectly normal for a rooster to use the call....and for others in the flock to answer back to anyone who starts it.

 

[FryeFarm]

I knew they would answer back to each other but I didn't know the rooster did it on their own, lol it's his first time doing it so it threw me off.

 

[DLTorrens]

Hello -

Please be aware!!! And be careful!!! My rooster . . . who I have had since April and raised by hand, let out this cackle on 09/11/2014 at 7:30 a.m. That is why I looked up "Rooster cackling like a hen??" and came across your question. I went out on the deck because I had never heard anything so loud. By 10:30 a.m., which is when I noticed (could have been sooner) . . . (3) three hens and this rooster were up and gone, just vanished. Neighbors, school yard across the street . . . no one had seen them. I was home the entire time, so no one came into the fenced yard and took them. This happened the morning after the weather temp in the morning dropped to 40 degrees for the 1st time. All I can equate his cackling hen call is that he was rounding them up for some reason and taking off. Weather related? (4) four hens stayed behind and I have them on a heat lamp (at night) and they all are bustling around like life is great. I wanted to turn it on a night earlier and possibly could still have my guy if he had realized heat was going to be in the chicken coop. He may have not taken off. Anyway, this is all that I can equate into the "Rooster cackling like a hen??" episode. That he was rounding up the hens.

Please note that all my hens are free-range and have been for years. Never had a rooster though, he was an accident in this last spring litter (purchase). But never had them disappear either. But in the future, if I hear that cackle sound, coming from the Rooster, the girls will be locked up for a while. lol

Sending the kindest -

 

[FryeFarm]

Lol well I'm glad my girls are in a run then, he only did it the one time and after reading your post I'm glad they're in a run!! Thanks for the informative reply!!