Zoology: Chicken Talk

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Trills & Cackles. Dr. Baeumer's chick-talk tapes, which are considered classics in animal-behavior circles, have been played at universities in many countries and broadcast over BBC. The genial doctor himself has mastered nearly all the nuances of chicken language and can play a weighty role in any chicken society. He knows the loneliness cries of young chicks separated from their mother ("Pieep-pieep-pieep") and their terror trills—a high-pitched "Trr-trr." Both hens and roosters make "frightened" cackles when first they sense danger. After the danger passes, their cackling is full-throated and rhythmical, as if they had triumphed over a weasel or fox.

Hens make a somewhat similar cackle when they have laid an egg, but Dr. Baeumer does not think they are boasting or saying "Thank heaven that's over." He believes that it all goes back to the old days when wild hens laid eggs in hidden nests. After each delivery, the hen gave a loud cackle to regain contact with the rest of the flock.

Chickens make screams of distress; they have battle cries and calls for privacy. Hens lead their chicks to food with a gentle "Tuck-tuck-tuck," and roosters entice pretty pullets with soft cooing. "Chicken behavior is not too different from human behavior," says Dr. Baeumer fondly. "We, too, compete for women, food and the best nesting places. When we consider the chickens' richly organized instinctive life, their memory and their capabilities, we must admit it is stupid to talk about 'the stupid hen.' "