Dialogues and monologues

When we first got our little flock, Titian was the most vocal by a very long way.   She spent most of her time chattering away to you, irrespective of whether you were actually listening to her or not.   Actually, if she thought your attention was drifting away from her, she'd grab your trousers and give them a pull.  Or if she thought you couldn't quite hear her, she'd stand on something to bring her beak more up to the level of your ears - then shout.

Titian

Maggie

Recently, she's quietened down a bit.   However, her place in the conversational ranking has been taken up by Maggie.   To be fair, most of her exchanges consist of giving you advice.   If you want to know anything about anything, ask Maggie.  She seems to know all the answers and is happy to share that knowledge.   She generally starts nattering long before she can see you.   In addition to being a good conversationalist, she also has excellent hearing.   That means that the moment you set foot out of the back door (quite some way from the run), she starts shouting encouragement.   Even if you're not actually on your way to the coop, but off to do some gardening, she still keeps bellowing at you.  Just to let you know she's there if you need any horticultural advice.

Rebecca has developed a chatty habit too, over the past few months.   Whenever I go into the run, she makes her way over, stands in front of me, looks me in the eye and quietly "chirrups" to me.   I've no idea what she's on about.   She's not asking for food or special treatment and she hates being picked up.  She's bottom of the pecking order, so perhaps she just wants a bit of attention from someone who, in flock terms, is on her level.   She doesn't go and chat to my son, so obviously he's higher up the social order than me.  Her sister Punk, although she's quite belligerent at times, has very little to say for herself.

Irene

Irene chunters away, but I always have the impression that she's simply talking to herself.  Well that's who she's most interested in, isn't it.  Tu-Tu quietly chats to you, it's more of a whirr really, but hasn't much to say to the rest of the flock.   I think she spends some of her time reminiscing about when she was second in command.

Pom-Pom quite often gets the mutters.   But she's another one who isn't sharing her thoughts with the world at large - principally because she can't see the world at large due to her huge hairdo.   No, she wanders round muttering to herself - all the time.   I strongly suspect that what she has to say is of the "price of fish" variety, rather than any deep, meaningful reflections.

Fizz

And then we have Fizz.   I've mentioned in past posts how many different sounds he makes.   There's his "CROW!!!!!!" warning, which can equally well be applied to doves, bluetits or aeroplanes.   But he really witters on when he decides to sleep on the roof of the coop and we decide he's not going to.   He carries on and on from the time he's lifted up until he's finally settled on a perch in the coop.   It's at times like that that I'm glad I'm not fluent in chicken-speak.   I'd probably be terribly shocked by his invective!