Hi all, I am hoping that someone here can give me input concerning specific chicken breeds. I ordered last night from Meyer Hatchery and I am hoping that I made the right selections. We live in a neighborhood in the country that does have covenants against chickens however my neighbors are all fine with me getting them. Addionally the city we are next to and the county we reside in all allow chickens on private property. We live on 1.5 acres. Our nearest neighbor to the site of the coop is 80 feet away, the next is 150 feet and the next is 250 feet. I have read these forums constantly to get as much information as I can and have used the chicken 'guide' at this site to get an idea of temperment of different chicken breeds. My hope regarding the chickens and happy neighbors is to get the chickens that are 'typically' the quietest. I notice that one person may say a breed is quiet but then another says they are loud. I understand that every chicken is different but.... I would appriciate any feedback concerning my order. I also understand that any chicken will make noise but I would love to avoid the ones that typically dont shut up. If i have to make a change I still have time. Suggestions of substitutions would be great! This is my order: 1. Buff Orpington 2. Americauna 3. Blue Cochin 4. Speckled Sussex 5. Salmon Faverolle 6. Blue Laced Wyandotte 7. Brahma 8. Rhode Island Red Someone at this forum complained about the noise that a Wyandotte makes. This is what made me wonder if I am on the wrong track. Thanks again for the help!
I've not had all the breeds on your list, but do have experience with 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 and would say, from my experience, all of those are good choices. RIR roosters can be mouthy, ime, but the hens I've had have all been quiet.
OK, this is just me. Living in a HOA that has covenants against chickens, agreeable immediate neighbors notwithstanding. I might have started very slowly, with just 4-6 chickens and see how it goes. Very low impact. I MIGHT expand in six months or a year, if the first trial balloon doesn't get shot down. Likely too late to make this suggestion, but oh well.
We have several of those breeds...buff orpington, cochin, brahma, and Ameracauna. All are quiet but the Ameracauna...she's a loudmouth sometimes, and is kind of flighty. She's also less tolerant of the cold, and tends to spend more time in the coop. The big fluffy cochin and brahma don't even notice the snow. Of course, summer is hard on them, as they are heavy-bodied and feathered. But I'd say the most friendly, calm, and even-tempered are the orpington and brahma. Good luck! Angela
I have a Brahma, Wyandotte, Easter Egger (originally called ameraucana but if you have real thing I don't know). My Wyandotte's egg song is loud, but it only goes until I am out there. The second she sees me she quiets down. It's just a quick announcement. My Easter Egger recently started getting a little louder than she has been. The Brahma is pretty quiet. But they are all usually quiet unless they are singing the egg song. My Barred Rock "talks" to me when I am outside pretty loudly but I saw that breed wasn't listen Mine all do very well in my urban backyard, and the flock mingles well now. I think you will enjoy a mixed flock!
Thanks for the replies. The covenants concern me somewhat. I think i will cut the order down a bit and maybe get rid of the wyandotte and something else until I am down to four or five to start. I would be more concerned about the covenants if any of my neighbors followed any of the other covenants. But they sort of do what they want no matter what the rules are. Still, it only takes one unhappy neighbor to make my life less enjoyable. My only experience with chickens was raising fifty california whites in an urban setting. Maybe its been too long but I dont remember any disrupting noise coming from that group of birds. So in my mind I cant imagine much noise at all traveling eighty feet to the neighbors house. I realize this my be a dumb question coming from a paranoid soon to be chicken owner but, how far does the noise of a small flock typically travel? I would have to shout to get the attention of someone eighty feet away. Does the noise of a chicken travel that far easily? At that distance would it be a distraction? Anyway thanks for helping
Hens can squawk it up, once in a while. I have one hen who is Chicken Little and the sky is falling about every two weeks. She goes into a tizzy that she keeps Ba Gawking about for an hour or two until she calms down. Rooster noise can travel a half mile easily, in the right conditions. Either way, there will some noise that travels 80 feet, with the windows open in the summers. Smells too, if the wind is just right, I suppose. All these things are quite tolerable and occasional. They are also easily managed. I applaud your responsible decision to limit your flock at the get go. The neighbors become quite tolerant, if you are a responsible owner. You'll be just fine, I suspect. Going up to 10 later on will be much easier, if the first 4-6 are "acclimated" into the neighborhood.
