Target shopping bag

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach : researchers seem to believe that groundhogs have a complex language that includes the ability to identify different people, almost as though they give "names" to certain individuals. Is there any evidence that chickens do this? In other words, do your chickens, or any of them, give a particular call to announce your presence? Like, "bock bock," for "Dad's coming"? Sorry I can't cite the groundhog thing, it's just something I read or heard somewhere several years ago.

There is some debate regarding whether chickens have what humans would define as a language, rather than just response sounds to various stimuli.
I think centrarchid here has an interest in this and beleives that chickens may have a different call for different predators and are able to call for each particular known threat.
It's an extraordinarily complex study. You have, if chickens can differentiate between species for example, to accept that chickens are able to place themselves in scheme of of creatures and this might lead to the idea that chickens have some view of self. That would rather awkwardly lift chickens into the fully sentient beings class and not many people, especially those that keep chickens, are comfortable going down that road.
I've got a group of 34 different sounds that would seem to be associated with certain stimuli. There are some that are relatively easy to label; the roosters I've found food call for example. Others, such as a mother hens ability to make a sound that will either send her chicks away from her to cover, or call them to hide under her, have been more difficult to be certain about.
I'm with centrarchid in as much as I believe chicken language is far more complex than we generally allow for. Any creature with as complex social structure as chickens, I don't think could maintain such a structure with a very limited call selection.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

The Littles (who are now a year old!) were scared of butterflies. The Chicklets (who were hatched on 23 and 24 May) are afraid of my 6’ 4” hubby when he wears his fluorescent orange tee shirt of an evening! They absolutely freaked out last night when he walked around the corner of the garden where they were exploring a pumpkin on the vine! Screaming, flapping, flying, running maniacs!

One the other hand, the Bigs were fearless!

 

[Shadrach]

I was carrying a paper shopping bag from the car, and entire flock started giving alarm calls. I went over to see what was going on, and they ran for cover while rooster still giving alarm call. Then I put down the bag (behind a wall) and they stopped the alarm calls. Looked all over the yard, and there were definitely no predators anywhere.

When I picked up the bag again, they started the alarm calls and didn't stop until I took the bag inside. Apparently this looks like a predator to chickens.

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I think you have come to a wrong conclusion.
The chickens here will give a call (you would need to sure for your chickens exactly which call they are in fact giving) if you pass close buy carrying just about any large object.
If you took that paper bag and painted out the target and attempted say 20 trials, one with a target and one without then you might just have a case to be made.
The call the chickens give here when you approach them is neither the predator call or the general alarm call.

 

[Shadrach]

The call they made sounded like "bokbok-BAWK! bokbokbok-BAWK!" (faster and higher pitch than egg song) I did not know there is a difference between predator call and general alarm call. What is the third call you are refering to?

Chickens make quite a wide range of calls. Given each chicken has a different 'voice' it can be easy to mistake one call for another. What might elicit one call in one set of circumstance may elicit a different call in different circumstances. it's one of the problems scientists have when testing in laboratory conditions.
I and others have identified three types of alarm call with a reasonable amount of certainty. There may be many more and graduations of these.
The established three are: Ariel predator warning call, ground predator warning call and another call, which is the call I think you are hearing which is for events that may, or may not threaten the flock.
None of the above should be confused with the general panic call which is where all the chickens make a racket.
The 'may be a threat call' here goes something like this.
A long bok and then four short ones after, a bit like, dash, dot dot dot dot, except with a chicken accent.
Mainly the roosters make this call. If I pass buy carrying a bag, this is the call that the roosters here make. They make the same call when one of the dogs gets close.

 

[SarahGfa]

I think you have come to a wrong conclusion.
The chickens here will give a call (you would need to sure for your chickens exactly which call they are in fact giving) if you pass close buy carrying just about any large object.
If you took that paper bag and painted out the target and attempted say 20 trials, one with a target and one without then you might just have a case to be made.
The call the chickens give here when you approach them is neither the predator call or the general alarm call.

The call they made sounded like "bokbok-BAWK! bokbokbok-BAWK!" (faster and higher pitch than egg song) I did not know there is a difference between predator call and general alarm call. What is the third call you are refering to?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

There is some debate regarding whether chickens have what humans would define as a language, rather than just response sounds to various stimuli.
I think centrarchid here has an interest in this and beleives that chickens may have a different call for different predators and are able to call for each particular known threat.
It's an extraordinarily complex study. You have, if chickens can differentiate between species for example, to accept that chickens are able to place themselves in scheme of of creatures and this might lead to the idea that chickens have some view of self. That would rather awkwardly lift chickens into the fully sentient beings class and not many people, especially those that keep chickens, are comfortable going down that road.
I've got a group of 34 different sounds that would seem to be associated with certain stimuli. There are some that are relatively easy to label; the roosters I've found food call for example. Others, such as a mother hens ability to make a sound that will either send her chicks away from her to cover, or call them to hide under her, have been more difficult to be certain about.
I'm with centrarchid in as much as I believe chicken language is far more complex than we generally allow for. Any creature with as complex social structure as chickens, I don't think could maintain such a structure with a very limited call selection.

Thank you. I always appreciate the time and thought you put into your responses.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

Everything eats chicken, and I think they know it.

It is appropriate to fear.

 

[Cryss]

Anything with wings that flies over my Indian Runner Ducks they get scared and run up to me and hide under my dress ! So cute...

You are Mama Duck!

 

[so lucky]

My pullets run towards movements that I would have thought would scare them. The other day a stray cat came from behind the garden and ran across the lawn, and all the chickens ran after it. They also run towards my dog, when they are in the enclosed yard and dog is outside it.
They also seem to be attracted to red. Grandkids have been surrounded by chickens when they wear red.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

All of my chickens freak out when I bring a bale of pine shavings into the coop. Same reaction when I was rebuilding their roost. The 2" x 4"s freaked them out. Although they were very interested in my cordless drill.