# Egg call



## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

Hello, most of my chickens have their egg call during or after they lay a egg. Why do they have their egg call... What does it mean? In other words what are they saying when they do the egg call? Thanks!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm not even going to try to answer that because I have no clue. I never gave it a moment's thought past the fact that the whole flock joins in and it gets noisy.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

I agree it is noicey. I think I might have an idea what it means but I'm not shure.
I think The chicken who starts the egg call is saying that they layed a egg and that their proud of them selfs about it. But I have no idea why the others join in. It's kind of funny though.


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## Jabberwocky (Oct 7, 2013)

The answers could range from a social instinct to confusing any predators in the area.. Whther there are or not is not relevant. 

Or the flock could be just sounding off on something else entirely. Much like Robin. I never really gave it much thought. Sometimes there calls that one starts and other answers. 

Science really has not cracked the entire code of the chickens calls. 

The other day I caught my roo crowing and a hen trying to match his call.. Strangest thing you ever wanted to hear.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Its surprising when a hen gets a crow right, though. I found it had nothing to do with whether a roo was around or not since I had about 15 of them at the time.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

Thanks Jabberwockery! That's strange that a chicken tried to copy a rooster's crow but cool.

They can get a crow right... That's cool! I've never heard a hen try to crow before but I'm guessing it sounds and looks weird for a hen to be crowing.


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## Jabberwocky (Oct 7, 2013)

chickenhen said:


> Thanks Jabberwockery! That's strange that a chicken tried to copy a rooster's crow but cool.
> 
> They can get a crow right... That's cool! I've never heard a hen try to crow before but I'm guessing it sounds and looks weird for a hen to be crowing.


If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. I wouldn't have believed it myself. Just one of those things you never expect to see..


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I've only had one do it, that I know of. I was standing there at the laundry tub in my coop when out comes this crow in the pen next to me. I looked down and here's this hen going to town. And I never heard her do it again. 

I also never got fertilized eggs from her so something else might have been going on there.

Something I just realized too, her crow did not get a competition going in the coop.


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## Jabberwocky (Oct 7, 2013)

Well I hope that does not hold true for her.. I am trying to incubate a few of her eggs. She has a sweet disposition and is good layer. Well, I will know in about 21-25 days..


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

An issue with show Silkies is that the more fluff the harder it is for eggs to be fertilized. There is the possibility that was her issue, or the roo's. Or due to the high breeding she was one of those that would never reproduce. Some never even lay and egg.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

Sorry it takes me so long to respond. 
That's strange that somtimes silkies don't lay eggs. I was thinking about getting a silkie but I don't know if I will but not for that reason... I've heard that silkies don't do well in a lot of heat or is it that that the other way around, they don't do well in the cold?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

They do struggle in the heat and need extra attention to keep them cooler. I've spent a lot of time spraying the coop to cool it off, making mud puddles, fans.

Silkies do lay, they can lay a lot. And don't stop in the Winter like so many do. Its just with show bred birds there can be problems once in a while.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

Oh ok, I thought they where bad layers or something. I was thinking about putting a fan in my coop but I can't figure out how and where to do it in my coop.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Did you ever say what state you're in? As you can see, I'm in the hot humid south. The birds would do far better if not for the humidity but it can be done. Other wise I wouldn't have ten year old birds.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

I'm in NY,
It gets pretty humid here and my chickens always pant.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

One of the tricks I also did, besides the mud puddles, were shallow pans of water for them to stand in. Some of them did understand it and I'd go in to the coop and find two or three in the pan just standing there. 

You could try putting a small fan up in the gable end drawing air out to help vent the hotter air.

My birds have withstood 80% humidity with the temps almost 100. But the Silkies were the ones that suffered the most. My hard feathered birds were allowed to free range so they could find good places to get out of the heat. They were also in a coop that only had two solid walls so the air flow was very good naturally.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

That's a good idea, I might just try that! 
I have a baby pool in my yard for my dogs but my chickens also drink out of it and step in it. I got one of those big baby pools for my chickens and dogs to drink out of and cool off in since my puppy chewed up the old pool.
I was thinking about a fan last summer but I don't want the risk of a fire since it would be running all the time. But I might get a timer to plug it into.

It seems like chickens dust bath not just to get rid of mites and other parasites but also to cool down. It was almost 80 yesterday which is a big change in weather here and a lot of my chickens where dust bathing I touched the dust bath dirt and it was cooler than the rest of the dirt.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I had one Silkie that every mud puddle she saw, she was in. Talk about a bright shiny bird once the mud came off, it was amazing. Actually it was the girl in my avatar.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

That's funny! Have you ever had a chicken go swimming before. One of my hens just hopped in a baby pool and swam around.
It's so funny how chickens can get dirty in mud puddles or dust baths and shake it all of and then look cleaner than before.


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## myhppyndng5221 (Apr 4, 2015)

Our chickens stand on the side of the baby pool that we have for the ducks. It can be quite a show. Every time one hops up on the side, everybody looses their balance and wings start flapping and they all start yelling and once they get situated again, another one starts the process all over again. 
On another note, two summers ago my grandpa actually installed an AC unit in a chicken coop for a good friend of his. We only live in PA it gets hot some days but AC for chickens? Must be nice having that kind of money when you get old lol!


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

That's so funny how they loose balance! 
That's cool about the AC in a chicken coop! Must be good for those hotter days in the summer. How hot does it get in PA in the summer?
Yeah! Lol


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## myhppyndng5221 (Apr 4, 2015)

It usually reaches mid 90's but it is so humid out.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

Wow, that's a lot hotter than Here. It gets up to the 80s but about a year ago it almost reached 90. It's very humid here too.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

Where is everyone?


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

Hello? Anyone know what or think they know what chickens are saying when they do their egg call?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not a clue other than they might be letting the others know they can reproduce.


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## chickenhen (Apr 22, 2015)

That's a good guess, I never thought that.
I used to think and still think it was that they wanted the others to know that they layed an egg which is like what you said so I agree.


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## hennypenney (May 21, 2015)

I think it's kinda like screaming when you give birth. : )
Seems painful!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

hennypenney said:


> I think it's kinda like screaming when you give birth. : )
> Seems painful!


I'm ROTFLMAO!!! Never even thought that might be it. Except I would expect the noise during, not after.


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## hennypenney (May 21, 2015)

I feel it's painful and I'll tell you a story of a very young hen of mine who wasn't close to laying made that same noise they do when laying and she must of been in pain as she died within the hour. Have no idea why.


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