What's this screeching noise my girl makes when she lays?

[Moochie]

So one of my girls is sitting in the nest box and I wanted to take a picture of her. As I got closer with the camera she made this screeching noise, like nails on a chalkboard, and her neck feathers were all poofed up. I thought she was gonna peck me but when I patted her head she stopped making the noise.
What is it called and what does it mean?

 

[drumstick diva]

sounds like she is camera shy

 

[Moochie]

Quote:
well the other hens have done the noise before. ive just been always curious to what it means...
usually when i pet them when theyre laying or when another hen bothers them while theyre laying. idk does it mean "go away" or something?

 

[crawfordmama]

One of my girls does this, but I liken the sound to R2D2. She sounds almost electronic. She is a very private layer, and refuses to lay with either me or another hen in the coop. As soon as I'm out of her sight she stops (I sometimes spy on them through the coop windows). I think the noise simply indicates they'd rather be alone.

 

[sourland]

"Go away, do you understand this hurts!!"

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Some of my hens do this too, and I've always taken it as "it hurts, it hurts"!

 

[dwegg]

She is Broody... they will do this if they don't want you to take the eggs because they want to sit on them...

 

[silkiechicken]

It's a "I'm big and bad, go AWAY!!!"

I find they are usually silent at egg laying, but will scream and cackle as they leave the nest. Idea is to draw attention to her so her nest is safe.

 

[ChickenChik]

Is she sitting on eggs? My hens do that when they are broody.

 

[Dora'smom]

It could be either. You make a good case for her wanting to lay in private, as you have spent some time observing her, but my first thought was broody. Does she leave the nest readily? If she is broody, she won't.