What's the Cluck?

[Curly Rob]

Hello all, new here. I am the only one in my circle of friends who has a passion for the birds. My buddies all think I'm nuts. I tell them "I know what these birds want by the sound of the cluck". This is usually followed by laughter and a few "Cluck You". Am I alone out there? I'm sure you know the "Hungry Cluck", "Sleepy chirp" etc. My favorite is the "Whining Cluck". Am I Nuts?

 

[subhanalah]

I have a pullet who's always complaining. I'm not really sure what she's getting on about, but I do wish I did so I could make it right for her!

 

[azygous]

Keep on listening, Curly! Your chickens will teach you their language! You're in the very beginning stages of understanding it.

It's not a joke. Chickens have different notes, and accents, and the way they string these together is the same as we do when we speak in sentences. It's called syntax, and all birds have it! Again, not joking, there have been scientific studies on bird language.

Lucky for me, I had learned enough chicken language to know they were warning me a bear was approaching the run a few years back. It gave me time to get myself behind a barricade before the bear reached me and attacked.

What was that phrase? It was a very soft, erie, rapid five note phrase with no accent on any of the notes, unlike when a friendly is approaching, the accent is on the third note.

 

[Denwendairy]

Am going to start paying closer attention to what my birds are saying!

 

[Curly Rob]

I know the alarm vocal well. Have a big cat in neighborhood that's been trying to get in the coop. My girls sound the alarm loudly. I have a White Leghorn that yells at me if I spook her. Heck, she threw an egg at me the other day! (no joke!)

 

[azygous]

What I'm referring to is not the loud "Bok-bok-bok-bok-bok-BAWK!" repeated over and over at high volume, but the quiet, erie, intimate-sounding five note phrase, "Bop-bop-bop-bop-bop" uttered almost under their breath so as not to call attention to themselves, but still loud enough everyone in the flock hears it. Usually it's the rooster who calls it, but not always. Whichever chicken first notices the intruder will speak up, perhaps more than one.

When they see me coming, it's the five-note phrase, "bop-bob-BOP-bop-bop".

If you want to hear this phrase, invite a friend to approach the run whom the chickens are not familiar with. Or better still, a strange dog. It's usually uttered at first sighting of the intruder, preceding the alarm call that you're thinking of.