Really LOUD noisy hen, as loud as a rooster! What to do??

[adeburro]

Hello,
I just read your post as we are new to chickens and this site too! We have a hen who is also now generating quite a bit of noise! She hasn't yet laid and I am hoping that she will quiet down a bit a few weeks in (I was happy to have read that from a reply to your thread). I am wondering what happened to your "crower"? Did she stop? Did anything help?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[dstinett]

Could you take neighbors some eggs and say it is for their inconvenience? I bet once they eat the eggs they won't be bothered by a little noise

 

[drsouthpaw]

Hi Beakaboo

I have to lovely ladies, henna and nena. Nena, it turns out has an obnoxious constant clucking/crowing sound that drove me and my wife batty. I got so into this I made a website to share with other chicken folks how to deal with the problem. I've got a bunch of great hints, free DIY projects, and my ultimate DIY chicken silencer that has worked wonders for us.

www.loudchicken.com

Let me know how it goes! I love feedback

 

[Tippy Toes]

I have had the same problem with one of my Black Astralorp pure breeds (Priscilla) and I think I'm guilty of the same inadvertent 'training' by giving them lots of treats throughout the day and when she starts up, give her more treats to keep her quiet. I've certainly made a rod for my own back.

I'm listening to her throw a major tantrum

at the moment but I'm going to be strong and ignore her. I'll do what others suggested and only give extras when they are quiet. Reward good behaviour.
I'm not a fan of the squirty bottle either. I feel that sends mixed messages. Trust me... fear me.
Diversion is also effective. When I go out and dig about, change the lucerne, fiddle about at the frog pond or their coop, their attention is directed to curiously watching the goings-on.
Chickens seem to be way smarter than we credit them and I think they just get bored.
Good luck with your girls and your neighbours. I'm taking some eggs to mine in the hopes that they'll be understanding. Hopefully, things will settle sooner rather than later!

 

[chickenychicken]

Are your hens doing the egg call?
Chickens yell after laying a egg for a few minutes to say they've layed an egg. You can't really stop the egg call unless you have an Inclosed area for laying eggs that wi block some of the sounds they make.

 

[Tippy Toes]

A couple of my girls announce the arrival of their egg with excited chortling and buk baaaaak, bah baaaaaks. It only lasts for a few minutes.

I think the original question has to do with rather spoilt girls (like mine) that keep up extended periods of racous row intermitently throughout the day, only to be quietened with treats. They settle for a short periord but start up again, seemingly louder than ever. I have even considered my girls would give themselves sore throats after such strenuously projected uproar.

Since I've been ignoring them today, they have quietened down noticeably... Yay! In particular, Priscilla has not bothered after her 3 hour (!!!!) super tanty throughout the morning. Hoping my moving things about in the yard (distraction) and ignoring the noise when I've been inside, will do the trick.

 

[patichick]

So glad to read this is normal! I thought I might have a rooster since mine aren't laying yet. We are in the same situation in our neighborhood. I think I probably caused it with the treats.

 

[Tippy Toes]

I think it's a good idea to give treats at regular times only. I was feeling guilty if I went outside without something to give them so... they were used to getting treats every time I went out the door! Wally me! Now I limit the 'extras' to morning and an hour before bedtime (which varies with the seasons).

Hope you don't have a rooster. They are illegal to keep where I live (metropolitan area, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) and my supplier offers 'retirement' if the chicks I bought turned out to be boys. Fortunately, this didn't happen. Even though I bought sexed chicks, there is always the possibility of an error here and there.

Good luck with your girls. There's lots of information on this site so do look up anything you're not sure of.

I was a total novice when I bought my girls early last year and the help of the folk on this site was invaluable.

 

[2hensChacoNugg]

We have 2 hens, Nugget & Chaco. I've see & heard both our hens do this really early in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. I believe it to happen when 1 hen is in the coop laying an egg and the other hen is in the yard. I feel like they don't like to be alone. Because once the hen comes out of the coop from laYing an egg all the loud baaa baaaaaak stops. I have also fear that our neighbors would get upset because the earliest it has happened was 5:45am!!! If I go outside to get her to be quite, she does for a minute as soon as I go back inside she keeps going. Nugget on the other hand stops when you hush her.

 

[dfillingham]

One of my Ameraucana hens who just started laying last week starts squaking at around 7am... I think she just wants to be let out, or wants attention.. hoping that its a phase that will pass?

Here's a video:
https://goo.gl/photos/2mRkBbWrnDLSZSQ87