They Were Singing!

[buckeyefever]

Around 6:30 this morning I heard a lot of "music". In the barely awake condition I was in, I thought it sounded like the wild turkey hens we have running around in the woods. So I got out of bed and went to go let my girls out of the coop. When I opened the back door to walk out, I realized the sounds was coming from the coop. Immediately I thought something was very wrong and perhaps something got into the coop. I ran barefoot (Ouch, stepped on a rock!) to check on the girls.

When I opened the long legged creature door, all of the girls looked at me like I was some crazed lunatic in need of a straight jacket fast. They were fine.

Now that I think back about the sounds I was hearing, it sounded like a couple of them were singing the "egg song"! I can only hope. Six of them are 14 week old Golden Comets and from what I understand they can start to lay anywhere from 16 weeks. I think they are practicing.

 

[amaypower]

Hmmm...I have 5 hens that also make a very loud chorus at 6:30 am..the music has increased in frequency and volume.....I am worried about the neighbors complaining about the natural alarm clock..any ideas about this morning behavior? I hope your chickens start laying soon, makes them even more fun...mine are singing in the morning and laying in the afternoon..not too sure...

 

[pgpoultry]

The 'egg song' consists of a phrase that the hen repeats and repeats.......but often the other hens will join in as they are also very enthusiastic about the egg being laid. They can make an awful din!

Sandie

 

[HHandbasket]

Well, my girls are not singing the "egg song" just yet, but my ameraucana/EE is clucking instead of chirping now, and it's becoming a deep, throaty cluck--she's roughly 4-1/2 months old. The leghorn, about 13-14 weeks now, has also started clucking in the last week. Both birds are squatting. I think we're only a couple of weeks away from our first eggs, at least from the leghorn. The last week or so, her comb has developed a LOT, and her comb and wattles are both getting redder. The RIR and barred rock are getting rounder and looking more like hens now.

I did notice the ameraucana/EE eating less the last few days and seems to be less interested in meat goodies and mealworms, etc., and more interested in the garden greens I bring her. She forages rather voraciously when I let the girls out to free-range in the yard which I just started doing this week for only a little while each day--my birds are still small, my dog thinks they are dinner, my cats think they are "birds", and I have to do a shuffle where I lock the dog and cats in the house for a couple of hours so the chickens can forage.

I'm a little worried about the EE's decreased appetite, though, but she did rip a piece of fish from my hand this morning. Ever take leftover sushi to the henhouse? They are like piranha chickens! LOL!

 

[mgw]

We are just waiting to hear that music, soon we hope. So happy for you .