Are Hens Loud?

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Are Welsummers, Delawares, or Cuckoo Marans typically loud?

 

[digitS']

I've decided that you are "casting about" looking for a quiet breed, Andy. You obviously have preferences but having standard hens that are quiet looks like it has quit a bit of importance.

Sooooo . . . I went back to Annmarie's post in the breeds forum from December and took a look: Name your quietest chicken breed - Poll

After listing the breeds voted as quiet, I put a mark beside those that were mentioned as noisy. Here are several standard breeds that got votes as quiet but no "black marks" against them as noisy:

Orpington: 4 votes as quiet
Cuckoo Maran: 2 votes as quiet
Cochin: 1
Andalusian: 1
Light Brahma: 1
Dorking: 1

The votes might change again but those were the standards voted as quiet WITHOUT a dissenting comment on their noisiness.

Steve

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Thanks for the link. It looks like some of the breeds like the EEs can go either way, either really quiet or, pretty loud.

I am also conisdering the Dominique, if anyone knows anything about them.

Also, you are right I am looking for a nice, friendly, standard size breed, that is also a decent egg layer.

 

[Hecate]

We have a Dominique who is quiet as can be and very friendly - she follows me around like a puppy. Our Cuckoo Maran, is also quiet, but a bit more stand-offish with us. Really our noisiest ones are the silky and the crested polish. We can usually hear those two from our upstairs bedroom when they are ready to be let out in the morning.

 

[Elise]

Our Buff Orp is pretty quiet, but the EEs are LOUD! I swear one of them, Beatrice, just gets louder every single day. She just likes to hear herself talk as much as possible. I also wake up most mornings to intermittent honking emanating from the closed coop that's quite a good distance from the house, and I know it's one of the EEs. They sure are cute, though

 

[sewchick]

Quote:
I have 6 Red Sexlink hens and one is extremely loud!!! The others not so much. Matilda hears me coming and I can hear her holler from the house. The coop is insulated!!! She thinks shes a rooster. Worth the noise. Great layers.

 

[Reinbeau]

I don't think there are quiet or loud hens, there are times they make a racket, and times they don't. You can't control it - mine will start that bawgawk! bawgawk! stuff over a leaf blowing the wrong way, and I've got breeds people here have said are quiet.

 

[digitS']

Notice that Ann didn't actually cast a vote against her "3 Buff Orps (one's a roo)." And, Andy hasn't asked about roo's so let's not drift into evaluating the legitimate crowers of species.

My Buff's would cackle but seldom, the EE's were quiet but I've noted how variable in everything EE's are said to be by folks with more experience.

It could be that the dynamics of the flock partly determines the noisy and quiet birds: If Hen A doesn't make a sound it may be as a result of Hen B never letting her get a word in edgewise.

I gotta say that the Barred Rocks are the noisiest I've had even tho' I have one that never cackles, never. She talks constantly - in a soft voice

. Her sister, on the other hand

, complains about absolutely everything. She cackles when the other hens lay an egg

. She complains about getting out and then for the first 10 minutes while she's out on the lawn. It must take her that long to shift from making noise to foraging.
She is a good laying hen, tho'. I just wish to heck she'd shut up

!!

Steve

Let's see, a vote for the Dominique and another for the Marans and Buff's. And, more votes against the EE's and sex-links. Popularity of the breeds could be entering into this poll . . .

 

[Chickapooh23]

My EE hens are not loud. My little Old English bantam is very very very loud. She is about the size of a robin but if I have pen her up for any reason it sound like a zoo. I also have buckeyes and they are quite also.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Most of my hens are loud (see sig for breeds) but I think my Delawares are the loudest. They love to talk and are very chatty.

I have always been surprised when people say hens are quiet. My girls are pretty darn loud at times.