HELP!! My Pullets won't stop Bawking!!!!

[dancingflower68]

OMG....So they are 22 and a half weeks old, and suddenly they started making all this noise, especially today! Junie, my salmon faverolles layed her first egg today, and she was a bit loud until then, now she is being good, but Velvet, my BO is going Bawk bawk bawk abwk abwk at the top of her lungs mostly all day. She is going in and out of the nestboxes, so I know she is going to lay, but is this noise going to be a common occurance? I only have 3 pullets in a very small backyard, and I am freaking out about my neighbors!! I'm embarrased they are making so much noise. We are allowed to have them in town, but surely not if they become a noise nuisance...I'm ready to throw in the towel, or have a stroke...not sure which right now. Any advice???????

 

[kellysmall87]

They get very excited when they lay eggs, my pullet has just started laying a few weeks ago and is still bawking each time she lays one! It is good for me as it lets me know when there's an egg ready to collect... They are very proud of themselves when they start laying!

But that's not really advice.

Nothing you can do, I dont think... Hopefully it will settle down.

 

[JackE]

Yes, some of them seem to be really proud of themselves when they lay an egg. I have a few that joins in when one of their buddy's lays an egg. That's the egg song. It cracks me up when I hear people say that only roosters make noise.
Jack

 

[dancingflower68]

Thanks kellysmall87 and Jack. They are being sooo quiet now, of course not before my closest neighbor was out there bringing in his trashcan...they really gave him a show...I have never been so stressed out in my life!!!!! Thank goodness I get to go pick up my son from school in a few minutes...I need to get outta here!!!

 

[gabe13]

That was one of my worries. When i first decided to get hens all I read was how they made no noise. As they were getting older all I read online was people complaining about their hens making loud noises all day.

Luckily for me all 6 of my ISA's are completely quiet. They only make noise when they see me or hear my back door open because they know I usually come over and throw some weeds in their run. They do more of a wierd growling noise and have only heard 1 bawk the whole time I've had them. They don't even do the so called "bird song". They are 26 wk's old and have been laying since they were 19 wks old. I asked my neighbor if he's been bothered by any noise from the hens and he told me he was in shock with how quiet they have been.

 

[rpar003]

I can so relate! One of our neighbors has even half complained about the noise. She said she thought it was children yelling and couldn't believe how loud it was from two houses down. I just smiled nicely. And I thought my hens were children yelling in my backyard one day too, so I can see how she thinks that. Our right-next-door-neighbor has a dreadful dog that they let bark at all hours of the day and night though, so they've got nothing to complain to us about there.

My hens seem to sometimes BAWK loudly for no particular reason. I know they haven't just laid an egg, because they're just out grazing on the lawn. I just wish they were quieter sometimes!

 

[MamaRudey]

OMG! I think it depends on the breed, my Golden Stars won't make a peep, they sang the egg song a couple days before and with their first eggs and that was it. But my barred rock and black sex link bawk and sing all day while their out free ranging. My younger Easter Eggers are practicing their songs right now, I hope they quiet down after they start laying...

 

[The Howards]

Luckily most all of mine are quiet, except for that ornery speckled sussex who walks around boking all day. I don't have your stress of being in the city; although we are in a neighborhood. But as for noise, when my red sex-link first started laying her eggs she would do the super loud bok, bok, bok, bok, beeeegok! She even crowed like a rooster a few times. After a short time though she quit all the fuss and it became a normal thing for her to lay. Now she only makes the sounds if she is annoyed. Like when she spies a squirrel perched on the fence post that she is sure is watching her while she is trying to sit in the nest. Otherwise she is quiet. I wouldn't stress too much. I am sure the city officials knew that not all birds would be silent, just remember dogs aren't quiet. Ours barks and makes more noise than the hens ever do. And if all else fails you can always butter up the neighbors with eggs once your girls get going

I certainly have.

 

[HiddenChicken]

I'm in the same boat!! In a residential area with 4 chickens, all 24 weeks old (2 laying, 2 not yet). They were SOOO loud this morning! My leghorn laid an egg, then started the song about 15 minutes later! I was wondering about the delay there, but whatever...lol Pretty soon she had the non-laying EE singing along with her! They were bawking in unison, making it twice as loud! This has happened once before...& my way of quieting them through distraction seems to work...100% success rate so far! I simply put down a favorite treat, like scratch or cottage cheese, & PRESTO--no more noise!

Give it a try...maybe it'll work for you...

 

[LittleSticks]

My pullets raised the roof when they started to lay. Yikes! They have settled down now that egg laying is more routine. One of my BOs, Sister, still announces that someone is thinking of laying, someone is sitting on the nest, and finally, that someone has laid an egg.

The other ladies seem content to give a BAWK or two and then leave the rest to Sister. Her song is much shorter now and, like someone stated, it alerts me to go gather eggs.