Chickens; Quieter alone? And quiet chickens?

[Nyowpotopop]

Awright, so what folks don't seem to be getting is;

I am OK with SOME noise. A little bit in the morning is FINE. Afterall people have been known to mow thier lawns at 8AM round these parts and garbage trucks (very loud) like to show up at 6AM. But I CANNOT have a chicken that feels the need to sing all day long or the crow to fill in for a rooster and there are some chickens I have heard that do that more than others. I certainly not getting roos and I just want a few calmer quieter chickens. And through a little poking around I have noted that the general consensus is that EE's tend to be the quietest of the flocks by suggestion and Orpingtons not too far behind. No genetic/breed relation my butt. This thread seems to support that claim.

Thank you to those of you who suggested EE's, (or bothered to make suggestions... Honestly! As if I don't know that chickens make noise...). I have heard they are pretty good too (see O.P.) and I will look into them.

Does anyone have any opinions or anecdotes about Orpingtons?

 

[SunnyAlberta]

I have a Buff Orpington, Momma, who is the loudest of my three, but also six weeks older and close to laying. She talks everytime she sees me. I listen for her from a nearby window and she's quiet when I'm indoors. She's also noisy when separated from the other two. The three girls bonded quickly and are always in close proximity by their own choice. I'm in a suburban area and am contemplating surrounding my coop with straw bales on three sides for insulation and to muffle cackles.

 

[Nyowpotopop]

Hmm. Definitely thinking of getting year old birds at this point. That way I know how loud they are day 1 since they should be laying by then but they still have a long life left to lay.

 

[flewdacoop]

my rhode island reds make noise all day but i dont think they are very noisey but to each his own i will deal with the noise for the brown eggs i get everyday

 

[Nyowpotopop]

Yeah, I was told early on to avoid RIR if I want a quiet yard. I honestly wouldn't mind the noise too much... But a constant noise maker is not allowed where I live.

 

[theoldchick]

The bigger the chicken the louder the noise. Chickens cackle. Chickens cluck. Chickens crow. They make noise. And if I went in labor nearly every day I think I'd make some noise too. Even a small flock can get a ruckus going, and if a rooster is involved the entire neighborhood will hear what he thinks. Seriously, I've heard my flock while traipsing the back 40.

If you don't like the noise, get less chickens. Design your chicken area to include some sort of sound buffer. You need something to deflect the sound from your living area. Lots of trees, solid fence, and even small mountains of dirt will keep the sound at bay. Have you notice how subdivisions located near busy highways incorporate such in things in the landscaping? Note how large, solid fences are backed by large trees, which are have large curvy mounds of grass- covered dirt to add interest to the area.

My favorite way to lessen the chicken noise is to plug my ears and turn on the fans. Makes it difficult to hear what other people are saying but that doesn't bother me.


Will he EVER shut up?




Nope. According to Stan the only reason the sun rises is to hear him crow.

 

[flewdacoop]

he is a good looking roo

 

[theoldchick]

Thank you. He also thinks he's good looking and wants everybody to know about it. I think he's crowed about 800 times this morning.

 

[canesisters]

Well... just to throw a kink in the plan

My EE is the ONLY one who makes any noise at all. Of course, my girls are still pullets (about 12weeks) and all bets are off once they start to lay. But for now, I can hear Candy fussing and worrying all the way across the yard, at any time during the day. The other 5 (2 SLW, 2 S.Sussex, 1 BCM) I never hear unless I'm inside the coop and close enough to hear their little chirps and coos.

I agree that you'll probably do well to find someone who is willing to sell you a couple of adult hens to start off with.

 

[dainerra]

I have one RIR and she's quiet except for her egg song. My other 7 are EEs. You can hear them for miles. 1 of them is pretty quiet, by which I mean she only starts making noise when the one of the others do. They cackle, they call each other, they scream because they saw a crow fly over. They make noise because they hear the chickens down the road making noise (it's about 1/2 mile to the next home with chickens. I can hear their birds, they can hear mine!) when I had a rooster, I can tell you that the hens made 10X the noise level that he did.

When people say they own "quiet chickens" they mean that the birds are quieter than some of the other breeds that they've owned. Honestly, chickens (and birds in general) are only quiet when they feel that they are in danger. Some birds might not have a pitch that carries as far as another bird or might not talk quite as often, but they are all going to be loud. And just because they didn't seem loud when they were at another farm doesn't mean that they won't be loud at your house. Quieter birds in a large flock are likely to be low-ranking birds. They keep quiet so they don't attract the attention of higher-ranking members. Once they are away from the original flock, they find their voices.

Also, my idea of "quiet" might be different than yours. If you mean frequency, then chickens are probably not the bird for you. They squawk in the morning when they want to be let out. They squabble over who gets to drink first. Who gets the first bite of breakfast. Who gets to be first in the favorite nest box. When 1 finds a tasty treat and the others want it. When the others take away the tasty treat. When they see a shadow that could be danger. When the danger goes away. When they see me coming because they think I might have treats. When they see that I don't have treats. When I do have treats. You get the idea.
If you simply mean volume, there are plans you can make to lessen the impact. Position the coop/run far away from the neighbors. Make sure that there are natural sound barriers between the birds and whomever you don't want to complain - bushes and other buildings for instance can block some of the sound.