Hen making lots of noise when other hens are in the nest

[64peeps]

I have one hen (EE) that occasionally makes lots of squawking noise before laying an egg.

She did this a couple days ago and it was so loud and for an extended time that one of my neighbors came out and yelled at her. I live in a city that allows up to six hens and six hens is what I have. She has been noisy several times in the past and I don't want to be a terrible neighbor, so I try to keep her quite. Nothing works unless I get out a broom handle to startle her and I don't like doing this to her. Does anyone know why she is so noisy?
I have a chicken tractor type hen house that has the roost above the run and two separate nesting boxes in the end. She makes this noise upstairs inside the roost with all doors and windows closed except the ladder and she is very LOUD! Only one bird was in a nest and she normally lays her egg in the opposite nest. It seems that she wanted privacy, but has several times nested together with one of my RIRs. I do not know what her problem was. She even went out of the coup a couple times today for over an hour before she finally went up to nest with the RIR.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
64Peeps!

 

[Mrs. K]

I would let her go to someone else. She is causing you stress over a perfectly natural act. There is nothing you can do about it, and she will more than likely do very well in another flock. People love to buy laying hens - you can probably get $10 -15 for her.

You could easily sell two birds, and then add 3 chicks. This will give you a healthier flock IMO as you get more multi-generational flock. You will have younger birds and older birds. The older birds have wisdom, and younger birds are going to be alive when the older ones go.

A lot of people seem to think that being raised together, will make a flock work, and it really has almost no effect on it. And another misconception is that you will need to keep the same birds forever, where as, it is better to move some birds out, and some birds in over the years.

Not all birds will work in the set up you have. Letting birds go that are causing stress is a good way to get a happier flock for you and her.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

Errrm.. the OP's post was dated December 1, 2013, so I think that the problems resolved by now.

Hook, line and sinker...oh do I hate those.

 

[LaFleche]

Errrm.. the OP's post was dated December 1, 2013, so I think that the problems resolved by now.

 

[lavenderhengal]

Hook, line and sinker...oh do I hate those.

Please do not regret your kind response. Many of us read all these postings as we encounter problems. It really doesn't matter when the posting is dated because so many of these issues are timeless. I appreciate all the responses to someone's inquiry, despite what year they were written. If a thread about hens' noise is started in 2013, I guarantee a new hen owner in 2022 is having a similar issue and needs the same advice. Please keep the wisdom flowing. The dates don't mean a thing really.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Some hens are simply noisier than others. And hens make the egg song after laying or just before laying or squawk at others who are in the nest they want to lay in.

There may not be much you can do other than try to provide her with access to her own nesting box when she wants it and see if there is any other environment arrangement that may make for a better life (be sure food and water never run out). But she'll likely just squawk because she's a noisy girl.

I have had to re-home a couple of my really loud hens to my daughter's farm...they were driving me nuts (neighbors never complained). They got to be known as the loudest hens in the county there.

Good luck.
Lady of McCamley

EDITED TO ADD: Without seeing your tractor arrangement, I can't say with certainty, but she may also simply need more room to roam. Some birds simply do not tolerate confinement as well as others...and a lot of chicken tractor type facilities don't really give free movement. She may settle if she can free range more, but she will probably still squawk around egg laying. Most do.

 

[antonio1]

Everybody is saying it is normal, but this depends on the keeper if he likes or not. As soon as there are others chicken which keep quiet when laying and the keeper don't like the noise, for me does not seems to be normal. So here we talk about chicken personality which should be corrected in some way.
The best advice is natural selection done by keeper, remember the noisy chicken and plan it for next soup. Next new chickens will be more likely their hen. The second advice is to make more nests and try to reserve a special one separately for the noisy hen.
I did the natural selection with soup method for rooster, the first one was a fighter, fighting like a dog with anyone, the current one (4th generation) is like a cat, kids are playing with him.

 

[Kazfam]

Oh my! Ours are terrifically noisy.
At first we were concerned that a predator was afoot but now know it is related to laying.

Not sure how to eliminate this - seems to be a natural thing.

 

[64peeps]

Lady of McCamley,

Thank you for your reply. The best I can ascertain is the hen noise is related to laying. She does this about an hour before going into the nest to lay each and every day. I have two nest boxes and she is normally the only hen to use one, while the others share the other nest.

I believe my six hens have plenty of space to roam as the tractor measures 8' L x 6' W x almost 6' tall and is an "A" frame type tractor. The run area of the tractor is 31" tall and the roost space is approximately 36" tall. Additionally, I have the tractor butted up to a run area that is 8'L x 8'W x 2' T. They have a total of 112 sq ft of ground space to run. I move the tractor/run weekly. I have not moved it this week due to the wet weather last week and then the extreme cold this week. Tuesday, we are supposed to get a little warmer weather so it is getting moved then.
Additionally, they are let out to roam our yard each day after we arrive home form work and all day on the weekends. The windows in the roost are plexi-glass, so they are able to see out of the roost and makes for some enjoyable viewing moments for me watching them look outside.

This morning at 5:30, she was waking up the neighborhood and was able to get one of the RIRs and a Buff to join her. However, I have to attribute this to me leaving the heat lamp on in the run over night since the temperature has dropped to 17 degrees for the last three days.

 

[64peeps]

I too believe it is a natural thing they do. Sometimes I say that she is telling the other hens that she needs her space and to leave her alone.