What kind of noise is THAT?!

[DellaMyDarling]

New one for me!
This Wyandotte of mine has spontaneously started making bizarre noises.
It was so odd, I almost thought there was a child or injured animal screeching. Nah, just this hen.
So, is the hen injured? Doesn't appear to be!
Is she trying to crow? (Got a new rooster, and she was the flock leader.)
I offered water, she wasn't interested.

Hen is approaching age 5. I don't know her precise age.

 

[Sagey_7878]

Wow! I’ve never heard of that sound! Sounds like an eagle! It may be her trying to crow but I’ve had hens trying to crow and it looks a bit different (the way roosters stand tall and extend their neck) As long as she’s not injured or in pain, that sound is okay!

 

[RumneyRoost]

My speckled sussex hen does this, it's a little deeper then yours. I say she's yelling. She usually does it if she sees me coming and wants treats. This year she also started a version of crowing in the morning. So far none of the neighbours have complained. I don't have a rooster so I assume that may contribute.
My double laced barnevelder hen barks when she suspects danger. The first time I thought she was choking!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Cool! Is she trying to learn to talk? Is she mimicking you? Thanks for sharing, this is neat!

 

[DellaMyDarling]

When I first started hearing it, I didn't know it was a chicken.
Thought it was one of the kids.
This went on for a while before I figured out that wasn't the case, it really sounded like kids play screaming (cops and robbers is the current favorite game here...)

My idiot brain finally figured out it was an animal and went looking.
Found her and several other hens under the deck, her screeching. They do that now and again, hang out underneath the deck. You're seeing her a few minutes after we convinced them out.

 

[FowlWitch]

New one for me!
This Wyandotte of mine has spontaneously started making bizarre noises.
It was so odd, I almost thought there was a child or injured animal screeching. Nah, just this hen.
So, is the hen injured? Doesn't appear to be!
Is she trying to crow? (Got a new rooster, and she was the flock leader.)
I offered water, she wasn't interested.

Hen is approaching age 5. I don't know her precise age.

It sounds like she's tying to crow

 

[aart]

Is she trying to crow? (Got a new rooster, and she was the flock leader.)

That's my bet.
When did you get the new rooster(what happened to the old one)?
Did this vocalization coincide with the new boy on the block arriving?
How did she react to the new boy?

 

[DellaMyDarling]

We picked up the new Roo last Wednesday.
He immediately figured out she's the flock leader, judging by a few missing feathers on her back.
He's otherwise been quite a docile gentleman and more and more hens are trusting him.

Dot must not care for the upheaval. She's still making the noises.
I also don't think she's been laying. We used to get a darker brown egg with some speckled that I'm pretty sure was from her. Some hens are finding sneaky places to lay, but I've seen no indication that she's trying to anymore. Half the hens from her original flock have stopped laying now, they're getting old. Mentioning just because that seems to go hand in hand with other crowing hen stories.

The last Roo was taken by fox a few weeks ago
He was working his way up pecking order, but was still submissive to Dot. He was young though, under a year.