why do chickens cluck loudly when they are laying an egg?

[Momo]

I sometimes wonder if it's an artificial selection thing. I mean, if you're living in a village a long time ago, and you have some chickens running around, and some of them always announce to you when they've laid an egg, and others are sort of stealth chickens so you don't know if they're laying or not, and if you go out to catch a chicken for dinner, well, you're not so likely to eat the one who laid you an egg that morning and made sure you knew about it... so the hens who sang the song would have a better survival rate and the trait would tend to get passed on. I'm curious to know whether the wild red jungle fowl sing the egg song too, or if they're quiet about it.

 

[MichiganWoods]

Almost all of my girls announce that they are going through labor pains prior to laying their eggs. I hear 15-20 minutes of Bawk bawk BAGUAACK! Then it's quiet for a few minutes, then they run on out of the coop and stare me down for a handful of oatmeal, quietly "buck bwuck"ing to let me know that they see me. They know it's their treat for being good hens and doing their job.

 

[JLMom]

Excuse me, but have you ever given birth! I have, and I did more than cluck!

 

[jkm]

Humans breed for selective traits,,,, before coops we needed to know when chickens laid eggs,,, annoucing calls would be very helpful in a pre coop world. ( i am a history buff)

 

[JennsPeeps]

My girls are pretty quiet but...

... God help you it you're on the nest and Gwen (head girl) had to GO. She announces her need to the entire neighborhood.
... our departed BR loved to tell everyone in ear shot about any egg that was laid or going to be laid.

We're up to 10 city chickens now and while I'm hopeful that they'll be calm, cool, and collected, somehow I have a feeling that I'm going to be supplying my neighbors on that side with a regular stream of eggs.

 

[Judy]

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Hmmmm. Sounds like a sensible theory to me!

 

[stollenmaker]

My girls make 'egg song' as well. I wonder if it doesn't have to do with letting the rest of the flock know they are back in circulation for the day; as if in "girls, I'm out of isolation now, where are you?"

It could also be a call to a rooster (if there was one in the vicinity) that the hen is available for breeding.

I suppose this is just another mind exercise not unlike "which came first..." I doubt any of us will ever know, but it is fun to speculate!

 

[gryeyes]

Some of my pullets and hens keep quiet about the whole egg-laying business, but some do not. One of my hens, Brenda -a Light Brahma - is THE noisiest and she goes on and on about it for 15 to 20 minutes.

"I just laid an egg!! I just laid the most perfect egg of all time! My eggs are the best! This one is particularly wonderful. None of you can lay eggs as good as mine! This one is perfect! I just laid it. My eggs are better than anybody's!! The Treat Lady will swoon at seeing MY egg! Don't even TRY to lay an egg as wonderful as mine!"

 

[202roosterlane]

I know right

I know I hooped and hollered a little when I gave birth! I just love to hear them when they are clucking.

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[kevinmccal]

My observation is that free ranging chickens tend to leave the nest and THEN start the loud announcement after they are some distance away from the eggs. It's my theory that, like rabbits that have their babies and then leave the nest so as not to attract predators, and return only to feed, that the clucking would be an instinctual thing to draw attention AWAY from the nest after they've finished laying. Just an observation and thought.