I have three pullets, roughly 16 weeks old, who are normally very quiet, only making the typical cluck/"model T horn" noise and the occasional squabble when one tries to steal food or sit on another's head. But in the last week all three of them have gotten REALLY LOUD! Not crowing, or screaming or anything... but their normal noises x10 on the noise scale and way more constant. In fact, one is "talking" non-stop in her very best outdoor voice. Does this mean anything or are they like my seven year old daughter and suddenly have realized louder equals more attention?
They may be getting close to laying. Thats all I can think of, they are usually pretty loud after laying an egg.
They arn't fighting are they. My teens are a good bit younger than yours and they do get noisy, not too bad, when they are playing. Yours are older though so maybe thats not it. It could be egg time like someone said. You would never know I have chickens until they start to lay . I can hear them at the end of the drive and thats not close to the coop. And it goes on for like an hour. They are LOUD when they lay so maybe you are about to get very very lucky.
Quote:Not yet. They have two decent sized runs, and they will be given free range as soon as I can afford to replace several sections of fence that my neighbor's dogs have chewed holes in (I'm surrounded on three sides by FOUR neighbors all of who are NOT chicken friendly). I don't want them disappearing into a neighbor's yard and being eaten by their rabid Jack Russel terriers. But for now it's only the two runs. Do you think they are just bored?
It could be. It could also be that something is trying to get into the run. I would watch for predators. Mine got loud right before a fox got them