ValerieR Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Right - this will test your powers of description! I am very new to chickens but I have had cats all my life so know all the different noises they make and what they mean - the wee chirrup when they jump up to say hello, the chattering at birds, the hiss, the spit, the purr, the yowl etc etc! HOWEVER I have no idea at all about the noises chickens make. and why. I think I have figured out the "Iam laying an egg "noise (does it mean "OMG this hurts!" or "Wow this feels good"??) but I can't work out the rest. One of mine was (I swear ) growling at me this morning when I tried to pick her up. I think she was settling down to lay an egg.... Other times they dawdle around making a faint chirpy noise - does that mean they're happy? Do they do an equivalent of a chicken purring? Hope there are no farmers reading this - they would laugh their heads off Anyway, I'd love to know what you all think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Oh they do speak, some have wider vocabularies than others I think Doris is the most expressive of mine, I always know exactly what she means. She screams if she gets lost or loses her friends (she's a Poland, it's easily done), whinges if she doesn't get picked up, shouts if she gets cross and squeels with delight when there are treats around She hasn't started to lay yet but I think she'll have a few choice words to say then too. If I remember tomorrow I'll take a video of Bridget Brahma in the nest box. She'll not let anyone else in the coop, I can't collect eggs if she's there, she says "RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK" very loudly and looks as if she'll attack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Right - this will test your powers of description! I am very new to chickens but I have had cats all my life so know all the different noises they make and what they mean - the wee chirrup when they jump up to say hello, the chattering at birds, the hiss, the spit, the purr, the yowl etc etc! HOWEVER I have no idea at all about the noises chickens make. and why. I think I have figured out the "Iam laying an egg "noise (does it mean "OMG this hurts!" or "Wow this feels good"??) but I can't work out the rest. One of mine was (I swear ) growling at me this morning when I tried to pick her up. I think she was settling down to lay an egg.... Other times they dawdle around making a faint chirpy noise - does that mean they're happy? Do they do an equivalent of a chicken purring? :D yes mine purr when they are in the nest box about to lay Hope there are no farmers reading this - they would laugh their heads off Anyway, I'd love to know what you all think. I've got a speckled sussex that always talking not sure if it#s too herself, me or my buff laced dotte my cream legbar sort of screams not loudly but it a god orfull sound. no other way to describe it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennydavies Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 We have only had our Girls for less than a week and we can already see and hear their personalities showing. Our "Girl in charge" - Ginger (the youngest and smallest in size) is the most vocal. She talks to me in the morning when I first let them out and has a different noise when she is asserting her authority with the others. She lets me know when she feels it's bedtime for her and the girls. Blanche (second in command) is less vocal but chats now and again and lets me know if Ginger is being too authorative with them. Nugget is our only layer at the moment and she lets me know when she wants to go in the nestbox to lay, but is very quiet while doing it. Bluebelle is the friendliest of the girls, an unbelievable sweetheart. She isn't interested in being in the hierachy, she is just happy to have a lovely home. She chats away to us and to herself ! We only got Nugget and Blanche on tuesday and Nugget has already presented us with two small ,but perfectly formed lovely brown eggs, bless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Mine do excited little squeaks when they get something they really like as a treat. They make purring noises when they are settled down for the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavysqueak Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Our two have a fabulous range of different noises. It's one of my favourite things about owning chickens. Actully it's one of my least favourite things as well! The noise they make when they want to be up in the morning, or when they want to be let out of their run is so loud and grating on the nerves that I panic that they are disturbing the neighbours! However I have one chicken, Holly, who has a noise she makes just for me! I make a chattering noise through my teeth when I'm trying to calm animals. I learnt it from one of my rats, Ratty, who taught me the trick of using it to communicate. There was one kind of chatter for 'Where's the food?', a different kind for 'I need to go back in my cage for a wee now' and all sorts. Anyway, I make this noise when I pick them up & now Holly makes a similar (although heavily chicken accented) noise for me as she tucks her head underneath my chin! Very cute. Enjoy learning all of the different noises, I think it's great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Oh yes do they speak: You have the bok bok - short and sharp - thankyou when you let them out of the run You have the bebebebebebebeep - Which mean give me a grape, give me a grape You have the ahk ahk ahk ahk - Which is go away wild birds You have the Bok bok Booooorrrrrkkkkk - I want to be let out to free range You have the bo bo bo bo - Contented whispering around the garden You have the bwoooaaarrrkkk - Long and drawn out with a final inflection at the end - Which is the "I feel I am missing out on something" usually requesting a cuddle or wondering what another girl is doing And finally, through this current thought process you have the bok bok bok bok bok bok Bwoarkkkkkkkkkkkk, bok bok bok bok bok bok Bwoarkkkkkkkkkkkk, bok bok bok bok bok bok Bwoarkkkkkkkkkkkk The I've laid an egg and I want the world to know it Now don't get me started on breed accents and "languages" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Now don't get me started on breed accents and "languages" Yes a Brahma voice and a Poland voice are very very different Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 My Brahma has a very distinctive voice, as does my Silkie - and truth be told, I'm not entirely sure that other breeds understand them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Yes, they have little things they say. Contented purring when they are pootling about or settling down to roost Sharp BOK! when one wants something the other one has, or has committed a slight misdemeanour. A very loud more excited purring noise when I open the back door (and therefore am likely to have chicky-treats in my hand) And of course the Bwak bok bok bok BkAAAARK Bwak bok bok bok BkAAAARK etc when they have laid an egg. Similar but slightly sharper, and with stretchy necks when they have spied a (foreign) cat or sparrowhawk. Gwennie has a low pitched BooBooBoo for her purr, Blodwyn is a soprano and Megan is somewhere in between. I love listening to them, it is so restful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValerieR Posted April 23, 2010 Author Share Posted April 23, 2010 thanks guys, very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunky_Monkey Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 My Araucana, Lucy, crows when she gets lost from the others. She is definitely a hen (lays us lovely blue eggs), but the crows are very convincing, especially at 7:30 in the morning - we've had to reassure our neighbours that we don't have a cockerel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValerieR Posted April 23, 2010 Author Share Posted April 23, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodcat Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 The noise i always keep my ears open for and leg it down to them as soon as i hear it is a sort of Booooooooooook it rises in pitch towards the center of the noise and then goes back down the scale towards the end it's also not a harsh bok and useually not shouted more spoken softly to themselves. It's the i've seen something interesting i'm going to investigate it noise. Sometimes it's something as mundane as a someones rearranged the pots however it can also mean i've found a hole in the fence the window cleaner has come round a put his bucket down or i've seen next door painting his fence panel and i'm going to have a poke at a bucket of paint and then dig up his seed potatoes. It's the most terrifying noise they make as i know they are going to do something devilish when they make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadelee2 Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 I just wanted to add to the list what I've noticed when I'm feeding my girls, and they are all chattering to each other, sometimes it sounds a bit like human voices - I know it sounds crazy but that's the way it sounds to me. Also, when I go to let them out in the morning, all is quiet, but as soon as they hear me coming, it's like a chorus of clucking. I think they are telling each other food is on it's way. Hope you have fun with your chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
