Leeloo Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 When I set out to do chickenkeeping, I researched breeds to find ones which were good layers and quiet so I settled on Australorps. I bought a pair which were supposed to be hens, but one turned out to be a cockerel. We had to get rid of him and I hastily found some chickens for sale nearby and grabbed a black sex link hen. All this time Sadie, my Australorp, had been very quiet and I never heard the egg song once in spite of getting an egg nearly every day. Well, the new hen, Zoe, sure belted it out whenever she or Sadie laid an egg! Last month, I heard the egg song and went out to hush Zoe only to find it was Sadie making the noise. I'm thinking that Zoe, bossy trailer park bird that she is, has taken top hen status and it's now Sadie's "job" to do the egg song. Has anyone else noticed that the hen(s) lower in the pecking order are the ones who make the noise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Not so sure it's the lower pecking order, more a personality type thing. My top chook likes to announce her eggs (she's been exceedingly quiet since November ). Recently my big chunky orpington sang the egg song, but nooooooooo egg! I've recently extended with four little bantams and one sings her egg song *before* and *after* she's laid her egg and she even did it when one of the other girls laid an egg!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 My three tend to all do it together regardless of who laid the egg. Not knowing any better I assumed that was the same for all groups of chickens. I didn't realise chickens had systems for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
