16 weekers and noise

[Fuzzymiss9]

Hello! Pretty new to this chicken thing. We have a buff orpington, a silver-laced wyandotte and a rhose island red, all raised together from chicks, about 16 weeks. The buff is much bigger than the others and has started squawking really loudly, in the morning, during the day, not quite a full rooster call, but it sounds really loud. I don't think she's a rooster..any way to definitively tell? anything I can do about the noise? I'm concerned the neighbours are going to start complaining. The others make peeping or whistling sounds, nice and quiet.

They live in the bungalow with run from my pet chicken, I've tried putting them in a pen outside during the weekend, but the yelling continues...help!

 

[FrankHomestead]

She might be practicing the "egg song"

 

[Embalmergirl]

I have a very noisy buff Orpington named Harriet. She squawks very loud sometimes in the morning & most definitely after she lays an egg. On the mornings she is loud I know she has to lay an egg & is usually quieter after she does.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Yes. When an egg is layed at my house it gets noisy. We call it celebrating

 

[Fuzzymiss9]

This may help...a recent photo. If this is a roo, I will have to rehome due to city ordinance. 'Nia' is standing next to the RI red

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

At that age, post a pic we can tell. Aside from that.. if it were a roo would probably be trying to mate your other girls by now. And the other girls would be screaming while the cockerel chased and grabbed their feathers in an attempt to mount.

One of my Orp's is absolutely the loudest ever. Followed by an EE and a silkie! Egg song is normal. But before laying an egg she goes into this whole almost preacher on a pulpit mode. First time my hubby heard her he thought one of our goats was injured and dying! Many of my girls actually do it. They get loud for a while attracting all sorts of attention, until everybody is ignoring them. Then they quite down and sneak to their nesting spot before anyone realizes they've finally shut up. I truly believe it is a predator aversion tactic! But the squawking that you describe is done by many of my girls and is one way I know who is gonna lay that day. They don't do it on days they aren't laying.

The only way I know of to stop it is replace the hen. Beyond that, making nice with neighbors and sharing eggs might help.

Orpingtons are quite large birds. No surprise to me she is bigger than her cohorts. Orps might be my biggest.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Can you get a closer pic? BTW. Beautiful red

 

[EggSighted4Life]

This may help...a recent photo. If this is a roo, I will have to rehome due to city ordinance. 'Nia' is standing next to the RI redView attachment 1118118

Looks like a cockerel to me because of the comb/waddle though I can't make out saddle feathers. I would be looking for another home. Even though boys usually make a sad sounding weird noise when they start to crow, more than the cackling I envisioned you describing.

 

[Fuzzymiss9]

She has been chasing and pulling the others feathers, but she's always been in charge of this flock. I would hate to get rid of her if she is a hen. Do I wait until I hear a full 'cock-a-doodle-do' to know for sure? These were supposed to be sexed chicks...

 

[FrankHomestead]

This may help...a recent photo. If this is a roo, I will have to rehome due to city ordinance. 'Nia' is standing next to the RI redView attachment 1118118

Looks like a roo to me by posture alone