The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[heartsizedfarm]

I've never heard mine make any noise but from the kitchen window I can usually keep an eye on them and sometimes I see them all flying for cover under the barn porch. And I look up and it's an airplane or a raven or a pair of geese. No alarm noises though.

Hoping for a good recovery for Miss Grey.

 

[aoxa]

I've never heard mine make any noise but from the kitchen window I can usually keep an eye on them and sometimes I see them all flying for cover under the barn porch. And I look up and it's an airplane or a raven or a pair of geese. No alarm noises though.

Hoping for a good recovery for Miss Grey.

Do you have a male?

I don't find my hens make the noise at all.. But I can't remember ever being roosterless. My hens forage while my males look on. They seem to have a very good system.

 

[Leahs Mom]

When they are all standing around shouting it doesn't matter if the roo is out or not. He wasn't out yesterday but he was the other time I heard them do it.

Most the time they act like you describe. But it seems that if one on right there this is the noise they make. It's almost as if they are shouting at it trying to scare it away.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Do you have a male?

I don't find my hens make the noise at all.. But I can't remember ever being roosterless. My hens forage while my males look on. They seem to have a very good system. 

I have one young rooster. Light Sussex? And nine hens. He does seem pretty watchful. And I guess he does crow throughout the day. And he chases after the girls that wander off and he hustles them when they come out of the coop from laying. And he sings the egg song with them. Actually come to think of it he's a pretty noisy b*****. But when something that scares them flies overhead he's a'running with the rest of them!

 

[armorfirelady]

My guess is that when a hawk comes down low - either to attempt a strike or perhaps staging itself low nearby - is when they make this sound. Otherwise just what you described. This is only a guess. I want to stake out in a hidden area if I get some time after work today and try to observe what's going on.

If I ever hear that "carrying on", I know to get myself out there post haste because a strike is imminent.

I hear the hawk call for everything.. geese flying over, ducks, planes.. When a hawk comes Jagger lets out a loud scream and everything goes quiet as they all take cover. I am not sure how they differentiate between this sound and the sound for other birds... Everyone stops for the other sounds and looks.. but the hawk one.. they just run.. no one looks. They take off. They trust their rooster.

He is ALWAYS watching. I threw some shavings out the window last night into my tractor bucket (so handy!) and my blue Silkie rooster did the hawk call for me. lol

When they are all standing around shouting it doesn't matter if the roo is out or not. He wasn't out yesterday but he was the other time I heard them do it.

Most the time they act like you describe. But it seems that if one on right there this is the noise they make. It's almost as if they are shouting at it trying to scare it away.

Ahhh I was thinking maybe it was your rooster that was making the loud noises. Guess not. No roosters here but even when the hawk got tangled in the fence they did not yell. Probably because they were clueless he was headed in.............scared the crap out of them & me. I have noticed since then they do keep a better look out. now.

They used to be scared of the sea gulls but are used to them. Same with the crows & helicopters. I have a lot of them that are in the area. But it is amusing to watch them when a motorcycle or loud truck go by and heads pop up at the new sound. They also become more alert when the dogs bark. I guess they use them as another alert system

 

[aoxa]

I have one young rooster. Light Sussex? And nine hens. He does seem pretty watchful. And I guess he does crow throughout the day. And he chases after the girls that wander off and he hustles them when they come out of the coop from laying. And he sings the egg song with them. Actually come to think of it he's a pretty noisy b*****. But when something that scares them flies overhead he's a'running with the rest of them!

When they are all standing around shouting it doesn't matter if the roo is out or not. He wasn't out yesterday but he was the other time I heard them do it.

Most the time they act like you describe. But it seems that if one on right there this is the noise they make. It's almost as if they are shouting at it trying to scare it away.

None of those hens are allowed out without a rooster. The boys don't let them. Jagger is out first, the hens follow. He is the last one in. He makes sure of that. It's very enchanting.

He doesn't stand up to predators, but he warns and makes sure his girls are all safe before he is.

I am going to have to get a video of what I mean by the sound.

We've had quite a few hawk attacks last year. They did get about 10 of our juveniles. Some chicks too.

 

[Didymus]

We have only had one hawk fly over as far as we know. The chickens (no roo) made ungodly sounds, very unusual. They all ran for cover under the bushes. There was a hawk sitting on the storage shed next door. We threw rocks at him and yelled. He flew across the yard and onto our shed. Same thing. He flew off and we haven't seen another one yet.
We don't live in a highly infested hawk area, but just one scared us (and the girls plenty).

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Jagger is a great rooster name. Gets the strut exactly right!

 

[chicalot]

I have a hen that does the similar to an egg song warning call and my rooster screeches. . Either way when they sound off everyone else is watchful. Yesterday the hen was doing the alarm call because of a stray Tom cat. We have lots of barn cats and at least 3 that frequent the chicken lot. I think that's neat how they knew that Tom did not belong.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Aoxa, I have been keeping my boy locked up until about 4:00 pm to give the girls some peace from him. That's why he wasn't out yesterday. I did just go and let him out now. Working from the home computer today and keeping my ears and eyes open.