Why do my chickens holler and scream so much?

[backyardkota]

I have 4 hens (no rooster) and my girls holler and cry all during the day, at any given time, for no apparent reason. I dont want a rooster b/c of the noise, but these guys are worse than my neighbors barking dog. Sometimes they almost sound like geese honking. They have plenty of food and water. Any suggestions?

 

[Chill_Billy]

I put an old baby monitor out in my coop..
oh my the sounds they make...
my favourites are the purring, the trilling ( one at a time then all together) I sure do know the " what the heck is that??!!!" alarm call...
and especially the soft chatter I hear as they get ready for bed...
I really want to put a web cam out there..so i can see and listen.
anyone try that yet...........i love the chicken cam sites..hahaha

 

[wendy]

Quote:
chill_billy, have you tried the site www.hencam.com ? that is a cool one! my hubby would never go for a hen cam! but they do have baby moniters with cameras now! that is a thought!

 

[2mnypets]

Ok, this may sound completely crazy and insane, but can chickens learn a behavior like dogs do? I'm curious because you say that you keep giving your other girl cherry tomatoes when the other one is laying an egg. Could it be possible Chicka that your hen has learned a behavior, and you are inadvertenly encouraging it by giving her cherry tomatoes? I know my dogs do that, but I wasn't sure if chickens had that brain capability or not. I know mine seem to know how to manipulate me. Either way I feel for ya ,but it was really cute watching your video and watching the bunny hop away in your yard.

 

[Altairsky]

This exact morning I woke up, and was in the bathroom. I heard one of my hens scream exactly like the rubber chicken:

I couldn't believe my ears. She sounded like that.
And it was just a temper tantrum because she wanted to get out of the run.

 

[silkiechicken]

How old are they? If they have just started to lay, they will make a ruckus until they have settled down. Else, it could be something that is scaring them and they are calling out danger to everyone.

 

[cookinmom]

Have you noticed if they are quiet (or at least quieter) when they can't see you? Mine are pretty calm when we're not out there, but as soon as they see or hear us, they run to the fence and get really loud. Hot Rod sounds like a goose! I think they're just telling us they are ready for another snack.

 

[Chill_Billy]

Love seeing those chickens in their roost boxes...

Hencam.com is really fun to watch, even i have dial up connection

 

[ChickaChickaBoomBoom]

I've had the same experience with my new hens. We started with three, but the first morning one of them started up at 5:30am with the goose-honking thing. She went to a new home, and all got quiet.

This week though (second full week with them) they both started laying, which means that while one is quietly suffereing the other is honking it's head off.

I do keep ours locked in their small coop overnight, but they now start up around 6:00-6:30am each morning, and practically bust the door down when I try to open it (I have a small window, and they are frantically pecking it when they see me coming). I don't want to offend the neighbors, so I quickly throw my clothes on and go down and let them out into their run.

Today, though, that wasn't enough either, and so I had to let them out to free-range. I then went back to bed and never heard them again - oh, until egg-laying time.

Bottom line: You are probably like me, and expected this cute "bock bock bock" sound now and again. Instead, its "CluckCluckCluckCluckCluckBOOOOOOOCCCCCKKKKKCluckCluckCluckCluckCluckBOOOOOOOCCCCCCCKKKKK!!!" over and over.

Oh, they were doing it the other morning when I was out there, and the rabbits (two of them) were stomping their feet. As usual, i couldn't see a thing, but then caught a glimse of the neighbor cat peeking out from some bushes.

If it ain't one thing, it's another. Which reminds me, I need to get to bed - it won't be long and they'll be starting up again .

-Dave

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[ChickaChickaBoomBoom]

Thought I'd offer a short video/audio clip of how my hens sound. This is during the egg laying process (why is the noisy one always the one who isn't laying?), but it's also how they sound in the morning when they want out of their coop.

-Dave