My chicken sounds like a seagull....?

Question

ok well she is about 7 months old and she is laying eggs. Lately though she has been making these couughhh sounds, alot like what seagulls sound like. im not totally sure what breed she is. she only started doing this within the last few weeks. is this unusual?

Also, I have another chicken which is supposed to be her sister. The thing is that she really doesnt look it, and is much larger even though she is the same age. The other chicken i have always seems to peck her, is this because she is the "top chicken" or something?

Answer 1

Chickens actually make a wide range of vocalizations - have you ever heard a contented chicken?  They purr almost like a cat!  You might be hearing a perfectly normal noise, but I'm going to give you another possibility because you mentioned the size difference between the hens.

Have your birds been dewormed?  Chickens will pick up internal and external parasites while foraging, and you should use a deworming cycle every spring and fall.  If she's also shaking her head or acting like there's something lodged in her throat, I would definitely use a wormer.  Gapeworms are a parasite that lodge in the throat and can cause coughing, head shaking and gasping for breath.  

I think it might be in your bird's best interest to update their worming, because you want to make sure that this noise isn't her trying to dislodge gapeworms from her windpipe.  Also, because you said the size difference between the two of them is pretty evident, if she's got a parasite infestation, she's not thriving, and this would become obvious if she's not growing on like her sister.  Smaller or sickly birds will often get picked on by other healthy ones.

Sulfamet or piperazine are both standard dewormers that you can add to their water - just read the dosage carefully, as the instructions are usually for a much larger flock.

Feel free to email me if you have any other questions!

Answer 2

The chickens peck eachother and this is called the "pecking order". It is completely normal, it is only to show eachother who's the boss and who's in charge. The other chicken that is making funny noises is just "crowing" my chickens do it all the time! I think it is some sort of mating call or they might just think they're roosters! Haha

I hope i've helped! - Good Luck :)