Why does Mavis squawk?

[smileyt]

Hello eveyone, I wonder if any of you chicken experts could explain to me why Mavis squawks?

I've had the three ex-batts for a week and Mavis (my secret favourite) seems to be at the bottom of the pecking order. This morning I let the girls out and fed them and spent some time chatting to them whilst I poo-picked their run (the neighbours must think I'm mad). Mavis was squawking loudly but intermittently. However when I went back into the house she really let rip with the squawks and boy were they LOUD! I'm a bit worried that my neighbours would complain as I told them hens were quiet and I wasn't getting a rooster because I wanted to preserve good neighbour relations; but Mavis could have out-squawked any rooster this morning!

Does anyone have any idea why she is doing this? I wondered if it was because my friend's rooster (he lives on the next street) was crowing and maybe Mavis wanted a bit of ahem romance? She squats when I go to pick her up and is quite easy to get hold of whereas Rita and Deidre aren't that tame yet.

Her squawks are like: SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAWK SQUAAAAAAAAAAWK SQUAAAAAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK repeated over and over again. (That's the best chicken interpretation I can do I'm afraid!).

Does anyone have any ideas why she is doing this? She is the most chatty of my hens and will come and bok bok to me while I'm in the run.

So, chicken interpreters and psychologists, I await your wisdom! Thank you.

[lettucegrow!]

She's just saying 'wow,what a lovely pad this is! I love it here SO much I just have to shout about it!! (sorry I haven't got a clue what's she's up to!!!) I have an argument ready prepared if anyone comments on noise of chooks- they are no where near as noisy as the incessant barking of the dogs we have near us, so please go away!

[Snadger]

Mine usually let rip when they've layed an egg, which would tie in with her squatting, which along with a red comb is another egg laying sign!

[frias]

You'll be needing Maureen. She's got an oligy in chook speak.
My original ex-batts were very noisy when I first got them but are much quieter now. The new ones tend to keep quiet so the older ones don't notice they are there.

[Bephlam]

one of my copper marans (Bertha) squawks all the time....and it's all excitement! She screams at me if she sees me walking past on the off chance I have a treat for her...she screams when I let her out...put her away...walk past the kitchen window. Whenever she's excited...she makes a noise. It's annoying, but I wouldn't change her.

[Snadger]

I have the quietest cockerels in the land since yellowlegs met his maker! When they see me trapsing up the allotment path it's as if they have zipped there mouths shut...............can't imagine why?

[CoraxAurata]

LOL - maybe I should be having Chicken Madras soon... it gets light at 3am (ish) and I have 8 Cockerals of crowing age (though 2 are pretty rubbish at it).....

[di]

I think the myth that hens are quiet is quite simply that!!!...a myth!!
We had three "illegal" bantams at our last house(weren't supposed to have pets).At the time I was under the illusion that the girlies made very little noise...Boy was I wrong!
It was made worse one day by a friend whos inlaws lived in the next street...they'd apparently asked her if it was me that kept hens...up until then I assumed it was only my direct neighbours that could hear them!
On the plus side though,the noise doesn't usually start at the crack of dawn,as with cocks.I can't imagine anyone having a problem with it!
I do like the idea though that it's in response to the cockeral down the road...to us they may be "boks" & "squawks",but who knows???romance may well be in the air!

[HayleyB]

A couple of ours really let rip mostly mornings though I had two sqwarkers in the two nest boxes opposite each other in the feed room - Turkey bum and Dusty - they were at it for about an hour trying to outsqwark each other

[MaureenHall]

You'll be needing Maureen. She's got an oligy in chook speak.
My original ex-batts were very noisy when I first got them but are much quieter now. The new ones tend to keep quiet so the older ones don't notice they are there.

Well thanks very much Frias

"Her squawks are like: SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAWK SQUAAAAAAAAAAWK SQUAAAAAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK repeated over and over again. (That's the best chicken interpretation I can do I'm afraid!)." If she's doing it when you've left her, maybe she's saying "Oy, where do you think you're going? You can't leave me alone with these! I'm going to SQUAWK like mad till you come back!" It's when they add a bokbokbokchookbok to the squawking that they're telling you about laying eggs

My ex-batts are still very very quiet A bit of bokbok would be lovely

[winstonwobble]

I have six ex bats that go out all day and come in at night the last one in the peking order does that noise but its not when shes laid an egg as i went running out to see what was wrong thinking a fox had got her and there was nothing (only a hen making a noise ) mine havent got names yet as iv had them two months and im lucky to get a egg a week they are hidding them and if i find the nest they go somewhere else if i leave them in the hen house they eat the eggs its a no win situation

[MaureenHall]

Yes, I think I might have to go on an egg hunt! There's a huge Pampas grass in the run and if there's any anywhere, that's where they'll be! I'll need to get full combat gear and protection on though, those leaves are lethal - got the scars on my arms and legs to prove it

[Sunbeam]

I haven't been on here for ages - but if I remember rightly there was a chicken translation available on one of the threads - might not be very helpful, but it was v funny!

[MaureenHall]

I have to own up to that I'll have a search through my threads/posts one of these days and see if I can find it

[RichmondHens]

Just read this thread for the first time! Mine produce a loud squawking when they want to lay an egg. If there's a queue for the nest box then (particularly the Welsummers) they stand on the ramp just shouting for England until there's a space. It's a really raucous, unpleasant sound and seems to only happen prior to egg laying. The noise they make after the egg has come is different, a sort of cackling, and then the cock joins in too, just to make sure EVERYONE knows about it.