I've always felt there had to be more to the egg song than it being a celebration, for lack of a better word. My Betty frizzle was a sole hen when she started laying and my dog would rush to her coop at the sound of the song. The dog was looking for cats but Betty was happy to follow her from the coop. Thank you for sharing your amazing observations with us ... this is what real science is all about!
What a well-written and researched article! A great book is Eat the Weeds. I grow Dandelions to dry and sprinkle on meals but the chickens won't have anything much to do with them; maybe a tip prune here or there. Cherry tomatoes grow wild around the yard but they never pick them from the vine, they always wait for me to start throwing them around. Spoiled!
What amazing observations! This is a must-read for those new, and some seasoned, keepers of chickens.
After being 'attacked' by my Araucana cockerel yest eve I was ready to return him to his breeder. But I sat here til late last nite reading and this morning asked the breeder to give me a few more days.