sounds a chicken makes

Chickens make a surprising variety of sounds, each with its own “meaning” in chicken language.

Main sounds a chicken makes

• Cluck – The classic, short “cluck cluck” used for casual contact and low‑level communication in the flock.

• Contented murmuring/trilling – Soft, rolling murmurs and trills when chickens are relaxed, foraging, or dust‑bathing together.

• Alarm call – Sharp, loud, repeated clucks or squawks when a predator or danger is nearby (different tones for ground vs aerial threats).

• Squawk/bawk – Sudden loud outburst when a bird is startled, pecked, or jostling for position in the pecking order.

• Crowing – The rooster’s famous “cock‑a‑doodle‑do” used to announce territory, status, and sometimes excitement; dominant roosters usually crow first.

• Egg song – Rhythmic, proud “bawk bawk BAW‑GAWK!” vocalizing before or after a hen lays an egg, often taken up as a chorus by nearby hens.

• Dinner/food call – A special clucking pattern from roosters or mother hens to tell others they’ve found food.

• Broody hen growl – A low, grumbly growl or hiss when a broody hen is sitting on eggs and warning others to stay away.

• Mother–chick talk – Soft clucks from the mother and high‑pitched peeps from chicks to stay in contact, signal warmth/comfort, or call for help.

• Distress peeps – Fast, sharp peeping from chicks (cold, lost, or in danger) that brings the hen running.

A quick illustration

Imagine a small backyard flock early in the morning: the rooster crows to mark his territory, hens murmur and cluck as they scratch for food, a hen suddenly lets out an excited egg song after laying, and the whole soundscape shifts to sharp alarm calls when a hawk flies overhead.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.