Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow Read Free Book Online Page A

Tarzan’s beating his chest and shouting out his familiar jungle call. Crowing has so many interesting facets that it has a section all its own later in this chapter.
Its meaning:
“I’m in charge here.”
Predator Alarms
    Cocks and hens use a variety of sounds to warn each other of potential danger. Different sounds are used to distinguish between possible danger and immediate danger and between a predator in the air and one on the ground.
    Caution call consists of a few quick notes briefly repeated, made by a chicken that sees, or thinks it sees, a predator in the distance. A house cat wandering by might trigger this sound. It is not a particularly loud or insistent call and doesn’t last long unless the predator becomes a threat.
Its meaning:
“Keep an eye on that intruder.”
    Alarm cackle is a more insistent caution call announcing the approach of an apparent predator on the ground or perhaps perched in a nearby tree or on a fence post. It consists of a brief series of short, sharp sounds followed by one loud, high-pitched sound.
Kukukukuh-KACK! Kukukuh-KACK!
Other chickens take notice, and some may join the cackling while stretching their necks to get a better look and moving around in an agitated way, as though not quite sure if or where to run. These sounds increase in intensity the longer the assumed predator is in the flock’s sight and may continue after the creature has gone. The same sound may come from a hen that’s been disturbed while on the nest.
Its meaning:
“Danger is near.”
EYEING THE SKY
The eyes on the sides of a chicken’s head give it a larger range of peripheral vision but a smaller range of binocular vision, compared to birds and other creatures (including humans) with eyes at the front, who focus on objects with both eyes. By contrast, a chicken has a right-eye system and a left-eye system, each with different and complementary capabilities.

The right-eye system works best for activities requiring recognition, such as identifying items of food. The left-eye system works best for activities involving depth perception, which is why a chicken watching an approaching hawk is likely to peer warily at the raptor out of its left eye.
    Air raid is a loud warning cry made by a cock, or occasionally a hen, that spots the approach of a raptor. While making this sound, the chicken looks up with one eye while flattening its head and tail in a crouch to make itself less conspicuous. Without looking up, the other chickens run for cover. False alarms occasionally occur, but too many false alarms produce the same result as the boy who cried “Wolf!” Although the alarm may be triggered by anything suddenly appearing above — a leaf fluttering down from a tree, a butterfly flitting by, or a windblown feather — chickens don’t sound this alarm every time a tree loses a leaf. Crows, buzzards, and light planes frequently fly over our farm, and our chickens learn to differentiate them from predatory hawks and eagles, although a suddenly appearing falling leaf or passing crow still sometimes triggers an alert.
Its meaning:
“Take cover!”
Distress Calls
    A chicken that’s been pecked or caught raises a fuss. The noise communicates the bird’s surprise but may also be intended to unnerve the aggressor.
    Startled squawk is a moderately loud cry of pain by a chicken that’s suddenly pecked by another chicken. Depending on the pecked chicken’s temperament, its position in the peck order, and how hard it’s been pecked, the squawk may be shrill or barely audible. I’ve heard a similar brief, loud, single squawk made by a chicken that had been foraging at the edge of a forest and was pounced on by a fox.
Its meaning:
“Ow!”
    Distress squawks are loud, long, repeated sounds made by a chicken that’s been captured and is being carried away, especially if it’s carried upside down by its legs. The squawking may be intended to frighten the aggressor into letting go but also warns other chickens of