Chicken clucking VERY LOUDLY, walking around doing nothing

[aart]

Dang, I was hoping for some real insight here, as my Orpington's do this all the time. Been thinking it's egg related, but whether it's them upset about needing to lay an egg, upset about where they're going to lay an egg, upset that an egg they've laid has gone missing, or just generally being upset at the world, I have no idea.

When they first started doing it I'd come tumbling out of the house rifle in hand, looking for whatever it was that had my hen in it's jaws, to find no gruesome scene, just a hen complaining about the state of things and the unfairness of the world.

Same here, sans rifle.

 

[azygous]

Chicken vocals are interesting. They all mean something.

The one we always keep our ears tuned for is the alarm that means a predator. This is one vocal, even if you have no idea what any of their noises mean, that speaks very clearly that you'd better run out with a gun or can of bear spray. It's not just one chicken "going off". It's total bedlam - screeching, squawking, flapping and general sounds of universal panic. There is no defined vocalization, just chaos.

There is a vocal consisting of five notes rapidly executed by the first chicken to see an intruder, and if you happen to be right there, you will be forewarned that something is about to happen. It's a sinister sound. I've heard this and looked up to see a bear approaching the run. Good times. Then chaos ensues. Some of the screeching is even coming from the chickens.

When you hear a laying hen clucking steadily and fretfully when she's normally laid back and quiet, she's feeling the need to lay an egg but she hasn't really connected the sensation yet with a decision to head for a nest. This is a loud, repetitive and annoying sound. I usually encourage the hen to find a nice nest, and she quiets right down.

Many novice chicken keepers mistake clucking that precedes going to a nest to lay for a sign the chicken isn't feeling well. Chickens that don't feel well are mute. They don't make any noise at all when sick or in pain. They do tip you off by standing around on the perimeter with their tail held low and flat, and often their feathers are all puffed up.

A hen that is going broody begins up to a week before actually going broody by making occasional "popping" noises punctuated with a "growl". At this early stage, most people miss the change that's coming over their hen. Each day, the "popping" gets more frequent, and so does the growling, and this is often accompanied by puffing up and shaking out of her feathers, but she's still mostly behaving in her normal fashion, not at all interested in nesting. She's also beginning to annoy the other chickens and they will show their annoyance by pecking at her. The popping sounds, which remind me of an old child's toy that sounded like a pop corn popper when pushed along, get more and more frequent and insistent until she finally lays her final egg and glues herself to a nest.

We all have heard the "egg song", a rapid bawk-bawk-bawk-BAWK! over and over, either preceding the egg or following the egg or both. My Welsummers even stand by as a friend is in the nest laying, "bawking" the entire time as if serenading her efforts. Charming and very noisy. Glad I have no neighbors.

Those are but a few of the vocalizations. Chickens actually have a language we can understand if we listen. They string notes together in definite patterns that mean the same thing as our words when we form a sentence. It's called syntax. I can understand "Chicken" but I can't speak or write it. But knowing what " here comes a bear" means when my chickens belt out the phrase is plenty, believe me.

 

[MasAhora]

Chicken vocals are interesting. They all mean something.

Thanks azygous for an informative post. My chickens are slow teachers. So you're helping me a lot.

 

[BYCforlife]

Chicken vocals are interesting. They all mean something.

The one we always keep our ears tuned for is the alarm that means a predator. This is one vocal, even if you have no idea what any of their noises mean, that speaks very clearly that you'd better run out with a gun or can of bear spray. It's not just one chicken "going off". It's total bedlam - screeching, squawking, flapping and general sounds of universal panic. There is no defined vocalization, just chaos.

There is a vocal consisting of five notes rapidly executed by the first chicken to see an intruder, and if you happen to be right there, you will be forewarned that something is about to happen. It's a sinister sound. I've heard this and looked up to see a bear approaching the run. Good times. Then chaos ensues. Some of the screeching is even coming from the chickens.

When you hear a laying hen clucking steadily and fretfully when she's normally laid back and quiet, she's feeling the need to lay an egg but she hasn't really connected the sensation yet with a decision to head for a nest. This is a loud, repetitive and annoying sound. I usually encourage the hen to find a nice nest, and she quiets right down.

Many novice chicken keepers mistake clucking that precedes going to a nest to lay for a sign the chicken isn't feeling well. Chickens that don't feel well are mute. They don't make any noise at all when sick or in pain. They do tip you off by standing around on the perimeter with their tail held low and flat, and often their feathers are all puffed up.

A hen that is going broody begins up to a week before actually going broody by making occasional "popping" noises punctuated with a "growl". At this early stage, most people miss the change that's coming over their hen. Each day, the "popping" gets more frequent, and so does the growling, and this is often accompanied by puffing up and shaking out of her feathers, but she's still mostly behaving in her normal fashion, not at all interested in nesting. She's also beginning to annoy the other chickens and they will show their annoyance by pecking at her. The popping sounds, which remind me of an old child's toy that sounded like a pop corn popper when pushed along, get more and more frequent and insistent until she finally lays her final egg and glues herself to a nest.

We all have heard the "egg song", a rapid bawk-bawk-bawk-BAWK! over and over, either preceding the egg or following the egg or both. My Welsummers even stand by as a friend is in the nest laying, "bawking" the entire time as if serenading her efforts. Charming and very noisy. Glad I have no neighbors.

Those are but a few of the vocalizations. Chickens actually have a language we can understand if we listen. They string notes together in definite patterns that mean the same thing as our words when we form a sentence. It's called syntax. I can understand "Chicken" but I can't speak or write it. But knowing what " here comes a bear" means when my chickens belt out the phrase is plenty, believe me.

My chicken that was clucking loudly is now being picked on by the youngest chicken in the group. Maybe broody? I sure hope so.

 

[Amazing Grace]

Same here, sans rifle.

Yesterday I had the same thing happen to me with my buff Orpington, she is 20 weeks , loves to be held. But she was clucking walking around trying to figure out how to get out of the fence in area, which is 150. Then she finally stop. I thought maybe she was early , and was going to lay a egg, but no egg.

 

[Vita22]

I hate it when they do this. It is definitely egg related. The noisy hen usually separates from the flock and is clearly not a happy chicken. I put this down to wanting to lay an egg (eventually), but not having a nest to do it in. At least a nest she is happy with. She roams and yells abuse to her heart's content.

 

[Iluveggers]

Chicken vocals are interesting. They all mean something.

The one we always keep our ears tuned for is the alarm that means a predator. This is one vocal, even if you have no idea what any of their noises mean, that speaks very clearly that you'd better run out with a gun or can of bear spray. It's not just one chicken "going off". It's total bedlam - screeching, squawking, flapping and general sounds of universal panic. There is no defined vocalization, just chaos.

There is a vocal consisting of five notes rapidly executed by the first chicken to see an intruder, and if you happen to be right there, you will be forewarned that something is about to happen. It's a sinister sound. I've heard this and looked up to see a bear approaching the run. Good times. Then chaos ensues. Some of the screeching is even coming from the chickens.

When you hear a laying hen clucking steadily and fretfully when she's normally laid back and quiet, she's feeling the need to lay an egg but she hasn't really connected the sensation yet with a decision to head for a nest. This is a loud, repetitive and annoying sound. I usually encourage the hen to find a nice nest, and she quiets right down.

Many novice chicken keepers mistake clucking that precedes going to a nest to lay for a sign the chicken isn't feeling well. Chickens that don't feel well are mute. They don't make any noise at all when sick or in pain. They do tip you off by standing around on the perimeter with their tail held low and flat, and often their feathers are all puffed up.

A hen that is going broody begins up to a week before actually going broody by making occasional "popping" noises punctuated with a "growl". At this early stage, most people miss the change that's coming over their hen. Each day, the "popping" gets more frequent, and so does the growling, and this is often accompanied by puffing up and shaking out of her feathers, but she's still mostly behaving in her normal fashion, not at all interested in nesting. She's also beginning to annoy the other chickens and they will show their annoyance by pecking at her. The popping sounds, which remind me of an old child's toy that sounded like a pop corn popper when pushed along, get more and more frequent and insistent until she finally lays her final egg and glues herself to a nest.

We all have heard the "egg song", a rapid bawk-bawk-bawk-BAWK! over and over, either preceding the egg or following the egg or both. My Welsummers even stand by as a friend is in the nest laying, "bawking" the entire time as if serenading her efforts. Charming and very noisy. Glad I have no neighbors.

Those are but a few of the vocalizations. Chickens actually have a language we can understand if we listen. They string notes together in definite patterns that mean the same thing as our words when we form a sentence. It's called syntax. I can understand "Chicken" but I can't speak or write it. But knowing what " here comes a bear" means when my chickens belt out the phrase is plenty, believe me.

Thanks for the info! Bookmarked!

 

[Iluveggers]

Chicken vocals are interesting. They all mean something.

When you hear a laying hen clucking steadily and fretfully when she's normally laid back and quiet, she's feeling the need to lay an egg but she hasn't really connected the sensation yet with a decision t quiets right down.

Many novice chicken keepers mistake clucking that precedes going to a nest to lay for a sign the chicken isn't feeling well. Chickens that don't feel well are mute. They don't make any noise at all when sick or in pain. They do tip you off by standing around on the perimeter with their tail held low and flat, and often their feathers are all puffed up.

We all have heard the "egg song", a rapid bawk-bawk-bawk-BAWK! over and over, either preceding the egg or following the egg or both. My Welsummers even stand by as a friend is in the nest laying, "bawking" the entire time as if serenading her efforts. Charming and very noisy. Glad I have no neighbors.

Ok @azygous ironically enough after bookmarking your post, I went to the coop today to winterize with straw bales and a new tarp on the side of the run and I’m working & I hear what sounds like the egg song. A few times. I immediately ran around to peek in the coop and there was my Rustic Rambler & GLW inside my themselves. The RR was in the corner turning in circles. I shut the door and figured I’d check again later. About 30 minutes goes by and she did it again! (The rest of the flock was out in the run with me searching through the new pile of leaves I dumped there.) Like a “bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk, ba-GAWK”.
So I went around and looked in again. Again just my RR & GLW. The RR was in a different corner looking confused. I picked her up & put her in the nest Box (she let me pick her up w no fuss which was weird), but immediately jumped out of the box. I put her up on the roost just to see what she would do & she walked very slowly and made a noise like “baaaaaawk,” a slow bawk once or twice. I put her down to see if she looked sick. She wouldn’t go outside so I gently pushed her out the chicken door. She looked confused & just stood on the ramp.
I picked her up and put her on the ground. After a minute she shook her head, and started acting normal, scratching the leaves for bugs like her friends. I watched another few minutes & she looked fine.

Weird she let me pick her up. Weird she walked slowly & looked confused. Could she be getting ready to lay & be out of sorts? She ate, drank & pooped normal when I was there. She’s 19 weeks old. Here is a pic.

 

[azygous]

Such drama. Hens should have their own awards presentations. I swear.

I think they do occasionally get confusing signals from their bodies, and they really aren't sure what to do about it.

This morning I had a new eight-month old layer in The Favorite Nest Box when a seven-year old hen, who shouldn't be laying because she's finishing molt, came along and kicked her out of the nest.

The younger hen wasn't taking that lying down, set up an awful racket declaring her outrage, and kept it up from the floor of the coop until the older hen finally came to her senses that it was ridiculous for her to be in the nest since she isn't laying these days, and the younger hen went back to what she was doing when she was so rudely interrupted.

Have you checked that little gal's pelvic bones to see how far apart they are. She could be closer to point of lay than you might think.

 

[Iluveggers]

Such drama. Hens should have their own awards presentations. I swear.

I think they do occasionally get confusing signals from their bodies, and they really aren't sure what to do about it.

This morning I had a new eight-month old layer in The Favorite Nest Box when a seven-year old hen, who shouldn't be laying because she's finishing molt, came along and kicked her out of the nest.

The younger hen wasn't taking that lying down, set up an awful racket declaring her outrage, and kept it up from the floor of the coop until the older hen finally came to her senses that it was ridiculous for her to be in the nest since she isn't laying these days, and the younger hen went back to what she was doing when she was so rudely interrupted.

Have you checked that little gal's pelvic bones to see how far apart they are. She could be closer to point of lay than you might think.

I should check her, thanks for that suggestion. I also put out a small bowl of oyster shark just in case (they are still on starter/grower since no one is laying yet!)
Might be a few days til I get to it. During the work week in the winter my aunt does the chicks chores since I don’t get home until close to the time it gets dark. I get my chicken chore days on weekends, holidays/vacations & spring-fall. Appreciate all of your help!