Weird noises and behaviour from my girls last night!

[ScotianChick]

I'm not really worried so much as just curious. They had a hawk scare a few days ago and so I understand they are feeling skittish. Anyway at dusk they were milling around the coop like they always do, scratching at the ground trying to find some bits of food they may have forgotten from lunch. Then they all of a sudden ran off into the bushes. When the sun set completely they basically lined up and all went in the coop and jumped on the roost. I was cooking and I heard "Puh Caw, Puh Caw, Puh Caw!" My husband was in the woodhouse and said I should go check on them. When I went in my silverlaced Go Go (the one who is getting a wee bit too much love from Bill) was making really loud noises! She was just sitting on the roost going "Puh Caw!" while the others looked on. I noticed BeBe was on the floor and I thought maybe she didn't recognize her and was nervous. I picked up BeBe and put her on the roost because she again tried to sleep in the nesting boxes. When I put BeBe on the roost she kept going "Pip pip pip pip pip pip" which she does EVERY time I go in the coop in the evening even though she eats out of my hand and follows me around the yard. So the whole time BeBe is going "pip pip pip pip" and Go Go is going "Puh Caw Puh Caw" and the others are just sitting there fidgeting and ruffling their feathers.

It was the strangest thing. I checked the coop for predators but it's a tiny coop. It has three laying boxes, a roost and a poop board... it has enough room on the roost for about 8 hens one rooster, there are only 5 hens right now. There was nothing there. They were having a noise making party it seems :S Anyone know what those silly noises mean?

 

[linben]

I have seen my hens have a noise party if one starts it for some unknown reason. They can get quite loud.

 

[ChooksChick]

That's a startle call- it may be something fell on the roof (we have nut trees here, and squirrels) and freaked them out. I know mine do that to keep each other alert when they're freaked out. Owls?

 

[Judy]

I agree, noise seems to be catching. I suppose a mouse or something could have run across the floor. I think mine have started because it was a bit windy and the shadow of a tree branch moved across their line of vision.