Animals communicate in a variety of ways, a chicken’s cluck is understood by members of their own species but is not understood by animals of other species, or by humans for that matter. But it seems someone has cracked the code, so, why do chickens cluck? This article looks into it 

Chickens cluck to indicate that their eggs have lain, they cluck when they start their days, these birds cluck loudly when frightened and even when they’re not feeling well. Chickens also cluck when they’re brooding and after they’ve successfully mated. 

Why do chickens cluck? 10 reasons why chickens cluck 

Clucking is how chickens communicate with each other, they even cluck to communicate with humans.

Scientists have studied these animals and have figured out what their clucking means. What we now know is that varying clucking sounds and their frequency all tell different stories:

To signal that eggs have been laid 

There’s the loud clucking noise that chickens make to signal that eggs have been laid, birds cluck after laying eggs to ward off predators. This sound is repetitive and can be heard 1 to 10 minutes after egg-laying 

To give direction 

Mother birds guide baby chicks in a variety of ways. One way to guide baby birds is by clucking at them. Mother birds make strong, continuous, clucking sounds when marshaling baby chickens together as they walk around.

As a wake-up call 

Birds make happy, good-morning clucks in the mornings before they start their day. These clucks are usually made by roosters marking their territory, this also helps to keep predators away 

Attract mates 

Roosters have to perform a mating dance in order to attract a hen, this dance is done to get her to mate with him. The rooster will also cluck when trying to attract a hen to mate with 

To warn others 

These birds make a frightened, loud, ruckus clucking noise when something or someone catches them unaware. This clucking is a warning sound to other chickens about danger in the area 

Illness 

If a chicken is sick their clucks will not be as loud as they would be if they were healthy. They make a whimpering cluck sound when they’re not feeling well.

Brooding 

Brooding describes a situation when a female hen sits on her eggs and waits for them to hatch, she will cluck to communicate that you should leave her alone, these clucks are slow and drawn-out.

Trying to find each other 

Chickens are social animals, they like to be close to each other, they will cluck and will make a fuss if they cannot find their friends. If your chickens suddenly start to cluck wildly, taking the bird to its friends will usually get it to calm down 

Communicating to chicks in eggs 

While sitting on her eggs, a mother hen may cluck and purr softly. She does this to get her babies used to her voice. Knowing her voice will enable chicks to pick her out of a group of chickens 

After a successful mate

A rooster has to put in effort in order for a hen to pick him and decide to mate with him. Finding a hen to mate with, and successfully mating, is an achievement. Thus, roosters will cluck after a successful mate 

What other noises do chickens make?

Clucking and “cock-a-doodle-doo” are famous chicken calls but they are not the only sounds chickens make.

The vocal talents of chickens allow them to make other sounds such as trill, growl, purr, burble, squawks, crowing, cooing, and cawing.

Depending on the breed and location of the chicken, the tone and pitch of these sounds often sound different. Each sound sends a message and tells of their physical state.

Why is my hen so loud?

We’ve all come to believe that roosters are the loudest and noisiest of chickens. While they do make occasional loud crows and clucks about after mating, it’s really hens that make the more frequent and louder sounds.

An alarmed and startled hen will cause a ruckus making squawking and clucking sounds.

Hens cluck after every lay. Hens continuously cluck as they move chicks around.

Hens are always clucking as they peck and chat up other hens. These birds are loud because of the activity they are engaging in, especially when they are frightened, giving warnings and safeguarding baby chickens.

Why do chickens make noise in the morning?

Chickens create morning calls every day. Naturally, roosters crow, and hens cluck just around the break of dawn.

Scientists believe it’s genetics, a biological clock that gets them to start their day. So no, it’s not them being irritating, just part of who they are.

How do I stop my chickens from making noises?

There have been many gadgets such as anti-crowing bands, that claim to reduce or stop chickens from crowing.

However, if the morning crowing and clucking is based on a biological clock, then how about we reset that clock? We can do this by changing their sleep-wake pattern.

Do this by blocking out light during the earlier parts of the morning and keeping them on later in the evenings. Over time your chicken’s noise patterns will change. They may not stop making noises but the noises can be managed

Conclusion

In conclusion, clucking is natural to chickens.

They cluck to attract a mate, to communicate that they’ve laid an egg, to give direction, as a warning call, as a wake  call, to signal that they’re ill, they may cluck when they are brooding, when they are trying to find each other and a mother chicken will cluck to get chicks in eggs to get used to her voice 

Chickens also make many other noises. A loud hen’s noisy sounds maybe an egg song or warrior call. Chickens can be noisy but are lovely birds.

If you’re interested in chickens you may also be interested in these articles: why do chickens wag their tails, when do chickens start laying eggs after winter, why do chickens eat feathers, how to get chickens to sleep on the roost, why do chickens have wings, how to get chickens to lay bigger eggs, click the links to read more.