Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Chicken Chat => Topic started by: henamoured on May 04, 2010, 23:00
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I'm relatively new to hen keeping, I've had my four for about 3 months - 2 now laying, two about to come in to lay. (BTW this site has been absolutely GREAT for a beginner like me).
The two older ones which are laying go in to the nesting box, usually in the morning and make the normal rythmic laying clucks for about 10 minutes. But on Saturday I was in the garden and noticed Hennypenny had gone to lay and her friend Venus as normal was standing by the coop at the bottom of the ladder waiting for her. Normally I don't like to go too near when they're laying in case I disturb them, but this time I edged nearer and realised that it was Venus who was doing the laying song - not Hennypenny who was actually laying the egg!!
When Hennypenny had laid her egg, she came out, had a drink and then Venus went in to lay and Hennypenny started the laying rosey!!
Is this normal? Has anyone else noticed this surrogate rosey? Does anyone know why they do the laying rosey anyway? I'd have thought their instinct would be to stay quiet when they are in what is presumably a vulnerable position in the wild?
The other thing I've noticed is that if I'm doing something around them for a while they make a bah bah bah sound very softly - the same sound they make to each other when they're going to bed at night. I think this is a sort of recognition sound - alerting each other to the fact that a friend is entering the coop and not a potential attacker. When I try and imitate this soft bah bah sound, they return it. I'm not sure what I'm saying to them but I'm sure they think it's something nice!!
I'd be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts.
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mine make a noise (loudly) when they want to lay, whilst they are laying and then for about 15 mins afterwards just to let everybody know that they have done it.
My little mrs poot flies up and sits on my head and chatters to me don't know what I say back to her but she seems to understand me :lol:
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It's great listening to all the different sounds they make, especially is it's food they like!! :)
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My favourite is the soft little sounds they make in an evening - they have put themselves to bed, I go and close the pop hole say goodnight and am rewarded with gentle little "noises" - gorgeous gorgeous - I do love their bedtime! :mellow: :mellow: :mellow:
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I have read that they have over 30 different vocalisations, including 3 alarm call, 1 each for danger in the sky, land or water.....i think they are amazing :happy:. My fav noise is when you have one cuddled into your shoulder and they make that 'purring' noise, and i love it when i go into the garden before i let them out cos when i shout 'morning ladies' they all start calling back , i love it when i shout girlies and they all call back, and we have one who is like the town cryer, she marches up and down and complains about everything , i love the little bok bok when they sit on your knee and chatter back....i just love it all really :D :D :D
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I had to remove dried mud from the nostril of one of my dotties today. I got 'bit nervous' when I picked her up to 'really not sure' when I was trying to gently clean the mud out by wiping it with a wet cotton bud, to 'Hey I can breathe now - this is OK, quite enjoying it'. Once you get to know them it's amazing how expressive they are just chuck-chucking away.
By the time I went to put her back in the run she was reluctant to go back and would have been happy to stay on my knee for quite a while :lol: :lol: :lol: