# Why do chickens cackle when they lay an egg?



## bevie55

I would like some logical explanations for why hens cackle when they lay an egg. Some imaginary answers would be good too.


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## Apyl

I can imagine they are probubly either 1) in pain from trying to push that huge thing out or 2) proud they pushed that huge thing out lol .


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## UncleJoe

bevie55 said:


> Some imaginary answers would be good too.


Not being a woman I have no first hand experience but if I understand the process, pushing out a young one can be rather painful. Maybe that's a chickens way of crying out in pain.


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## Sundancers

I have no clue as to way ... lol


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## Lady_Alia

Misery loves company. Since she's in misery she's gonna make sure everyone else is too! lol


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## tdepointe

I have always told the kids it was a victory dance, when they strut around and cackle after they lay an egg.


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## 7chicks

Mine must be goofy! Most of them cackle with no egg in sight and not a single hen in the nest box either.


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## viktimh

I agree with 7chicks. Mine seem to when they can't find the others or think one of the others is laying my thought was cheering/encouraging them on. Idk I'm new to this.


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## Fl_Silkie_mommie

I've heard my cluck.. No cackles yet. I guess they do it for the egg.


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## Roseann

Funny because my free ranging hens just recently started to lay their eggs on my backporch chairs. So now I can actually hear them right after they lay their eggs. My kids (twins aged 19) asked me just yesterday why do they cluck so loud after they lay an egg and I said, "because their so proud and want to yell it from the rooftops!" 
If their is a scientific reason I would love to know it but if it is because their in pain from "laboring" an egg, well, then, I will just go with the proud story! hahaha


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## Homegirl

After watching the final few moments of the egg-laying process, I vote either "I am so glad THAT thing is out of me" or " Check this out, I made breakfast" They sloooowly stand up, and out comes the egg.


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## Roslyn

I've always thought it's a *"Look what I can do!!!"*

However, the roosters do it all the time too, and then they all start doing it, and then you yell out the window for them to SHUT UP!! Because when all 30 of them get going it can get pretty noisy.

Although, the day after my first rooster died all 9 of the girls gathered into a tight little circle in the middle of the day in front of my front door and had themselves a collective cackle. It went on for over 10 minutes and then just stood in this little circle. I always thought that they were mourning him.

........chickens............


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## bevie55

I think they were mourning him too. My hens will start laying eggs in about a month. One day they were cackling up a storm. I checked on them. The rooster was inside the coop and they were in the run. Evidently they thought they lost him somewhere.


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## nanacarol

I checked to see if my hens had laid their eggs. Only 1 did the first day. This is the 2nd day. There were no eggs when I checked about 7:30 a.m. Around 9:00 a.m. I had the windows open and heard a different cackling noise. I looked out and could see it wasn't the rooster. All of the hens were coming out of the coop but the last one was doing the cackling. I decided to see if she had laid an egg. I went to look and there was a warm egg in the nest. A little darker than the one yesterday so I'm not sure who laid the first one. Any ideas?


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## cogburn

They are letting you know they did a good
Job for you, they want your praise. Just like when the cat kills a frog, rat, snake or bird and leaves it on the porch for you to see they are working for you, pulling their own weight.


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## Energyvet

How wonderful! A warm egg and a celebratory cackle! I agree with Cogburn, that our animals want us to know they are on the team.


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## cnsper

For the same reason you occasionally grunt.


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## redmaples

first being sserious. I have heard that they are yelling at potential nest threats and to either distract them from the nest with the new egg in it or chase them away with the loud noises to draw the attention of other chickens in the flock to watch out or come help. not sure but thats what I heard. 

Then jokingly. ever see the fog horn leg horn cartoon when the skinny hen prissy layed an egg(well I think it was a prank that someone put an egg in her nest) ( haven't seen it many years) and she ran around all excited squaking....."look what I did"....."Look what I did!!!"


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## Energyvet

Redmaples, that is so funny. I remember that cartoon well. I haven't thought of it in years though. Your description put a smile on my face. Lol. Looking back now as an adult it's even funnier. Thanks for that.


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## wingman

I'm goin' with the "proud" story - that's what my chickens do.


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## mcderry1967

Roseann said:


> Funny because my free ranging hens just recently started to lay their eggs on my backporch chairs. So now I can actually hear them right after they lay their eggs. My kids (twins aged 19) asked me just yesterday why do they cluck so loud after they lay an egg and I said, "because their so proud and want to yell it from the rooftops!"
> If their is a scientific reason I would love to know it but if it is because their in pain from "laboring" an egg, well, then, I will just go with the proud story! hahaha


I think you hit it right on the head! I believe they are proud of their accomplishment!!!!!


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## rich

bevie55 said:


> I would like some logical explanations for why hens cackle when they lay an egg. Some imaginary answers would be good too.


*The main reason they cackle is they can't say " OOOH - AHHH " *


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## stu-hens

i believe they are pleased with themselves however it really seems to depend on the hen,i have 2 out of 6 that make a hell of a racket when they have layed and the others just step out of the nestbox without a sound.However they do catch me out last weekend i went down the garden to collect on hearing one of my hens but no egg to be found?


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## savannahchicks

My auracana sounds more like a scream than a cackle. It definitely reminds me of my sister when she was in labor


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## fuzziebutt

Celebrating!!! A chicken party!


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## Pinkter

This is from the wisdom of a 90 year old woman who grew up on a farm. She told me the hen is telling the rooster, "I'm done and ready!" Don't know...just thought I'd throw it out there!


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## Homegirl

That is called the "Hen Song" They sing it when they lay and it either means " Look at what I made" or "Holy Cow, that hurt". I have a hen who will sneak in to the nestbox after someone else lays an egg, sit awhile, and then scream the Hen Song like she laid that egg herself....


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## roketdoc

victory lap!


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## oleredhen

My momma used to tell me that they did that to let you know there was an egg she laid so you could get it before the snakes crawled in the nesting box and got them.


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## 2rain

Hens are so funny sometimes! I think it's like what is this thing coming out of my butt?! Haven't had the joy of experiencing watching my chickens have an egg I also think its boastful like "hey look at this momma!" Or snooty like " heh I laid an egg and you didn't"


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## Bee

Pinkter said:


> This is from the wisdom of a 90 year old woman who grew up on a farm. She told me the hen is telling the rooster, "I'm done and ready!" Don't know...just thought I'd throw it out there!


Listen to the oldsters...they have wisdom. I've seen my rooster run for the cackling hen and immediately breed her. Just think...an egg has been blocking her oviduct for a number of hours while in production and it would be futile to breed her prior to egg laying. He might also break that egg during the mating process and this can spell trouble for the hen, so mating her right after she lays insures the sperm get to the ovary and he's not stomping around on a hen with an egg shell that may break.

If you'll notice, when a hen cackles it isn't until she leaves the nest, so not a pain response...they shouldn't have pain with egg laying unless they have a prolapse or too much fat around their vent.

It's an instinctive move of the hen's to re-locate/rejoin with the flock and it also serves as an alarm call when they are out on range and a predator is lurking. Some of mine will do it when the cat approaches. Or a hen that has foraged away from the flock and finds herself alone when she looks up, will put out that alarm call so that the flock/rooster will run to her.

It's all about survival/flocking instinct and the rooster also works on instinct for mating when he breeds right after that egg release. It also lets him know that these are the fertile hens. I rarely have ever seen my roosters mate a hen that is not currently laying....somehow they know and they will mate the fertile hens/laying hens only.

That's one of the ways I can tell who is laying at any give time, is when I see them out in the pasture and observe which hens he is consistently mating and which ones he is leaving alone.


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## rich

*I don't know why they cackle what I do know is, **if their eggs were square rather than rounded they would say*
*OOH!!! AAH!!!*


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## cisquette

In the wild, the rest of the flock wanders away while the hen is on the nest laying. So when she is done, she calls for them, and usually the male will anser and she can locate the flock. They will sometimes loudly cackle if they just get separated from the group. Its an inborn instinct.


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## cnsper

Don't you all cackle when you lay a big one?


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## chickadee3

Ba ha ha!! This has to be my FAVOURITE thread of all time!! X


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