Chickens are still loud

[Lacrystol]

Hello, me again

I am not disagreeing with what rosemarythyme has mentioned but just wanted to add that if you are going to rehome the worst offenders, do it sooner rather than later.

As mentioned, I had two offenders, sadly one passed away. However, it did not take long for them to teach the previously quiet, 2 years in residence girls that noise reaps reward.

If I got rid of Crystal [the noisy one] now it would make no difference, the others have picked up the trait.

I know I created a rod for my own back but I am living with the consequences; full time free range. However, when I was trying to keep them quieter, I did find that a radio in the coop seemed to keep them contended for a while. I would get up early and turn the radio on low.

Also, there was the suggestion of mixing up the times that they were let out, making it totally random so they did not get used to a routine and hopefully did not know when to start appealing.

I agree, getting rid of the noise maker is only going to cause another one to be the noise maker. I have hear girls will act like a rooster if there isn't one around.. but I'm guess, these girls are mad because there schedule got changed.. LOL

Radio is good, I use one to help keep the predators away, they hear the noise from the radio and they dont' seem to bother that part of the coop..

 

[brandy21410]

Hi there brandy21410

Ah, loud chickens, the bane of many suburban chicken keepers 

My girls did not start off loud and I did not have a problem until 12 months or so ago when a couple of my hatched here Silkie X’s decided that duck x peacock impersonations were the go.

They have a nice sized coop and run and because of our low predator risk, the coop was not locked so they could wander out into the run at their pleasure, early in the morning.

I work from home and free range was at the end of the work day [4PM] when they could be supervised just in case a fat tom cat, stray neighbourhood dog or aerial predator was around.  On the weekends they were let out of the run around 9AM and got to range all day.

Anyways, the noisy girls decided that they wanted free range earlier than 4PM and started demanding to be let out at 3PM.  Rather than trying to work through 1 hour of the previously mentioned sound effects, I started letting them out at 3PM and took the risk of the 1 hour unsupervised.  Naturally, they then decided to demand free range at 2PM.

Anyways, now, even though they have the run, I am up at around 05:30AM letting them out for free range about which they are very happy.  Me, not so much because of the additional risk but it is a chance I had to take.

Basically, chickens learn fast and my gals learnt that lots of noise meant they get what they want.

I am legal with the number of chickens but I am sure my neighbours, plus myself, would prefer not to hear demanding chickens every morning.

I am lucky that one of us is usually home during the day but I know on the rare occasions we are both out, the girls are not happy about being locked back in the run and I think that is probably what has happened with your girls.  They were out, they are now back in and they are not happy about it.

I think trying to trick chickens into thinking it is not dawn is very tricky and unless there is total black-out, they know.

Do your girls free range?  I can understand their wanting to be let out of the coop into the run but if they are not demanding free range, I do not understand why they are noisy in the run. especially if they have breakfast?

In my experience, besides the egg song and predator alarms, noisy chickens are only noisy because they want something and have become accustomed to getting what they want by making said noise.

Yeah i think im just going to have to get rid of some because idk what els to do. Iam trying to trick them to buy myself a couple of hours in the am but i dont know if they have out smarted me. So far no noise this morning (its 7am now) i think my girls are just really spoiled because they free range all day from 9 in the am so and i give them scratch and laying mash with tablr scraps and veggies. They are young tho only alittle over a year old. But like i said there are 10 of them all different breeds so...

 

[brandy21410]

My own opinion is that you have some thinking to do.....you say you don't want to pare down your flock but the sad truth is that if they're loud enough to bother you they ain't making the neighbors very happy either.  It's just a matter of time before they report the constant disturbance and you get a visit from the local officials.  Now, those officials could make you get rid of half the chickens so you are back in compliance, or they could make you get rid of all of them because you openly flaunted their restrictions and have shown you can't live within their rules. They may also well decide that chickens aren't worth the city hall hassles and then repeal the entire ordinance that allows them, making it impossible for others to enjoy a backyard flock.

In the end it's not about what you want or don't want to do.  We don't get to pick and choose the rules we want to follow based on our wants.  You may have to whittle down your flock, choosing the quietest, least demanding of your girls to keep.  Chickens are very social critters, as you know.  They chatter to each other, call to each other, yell at each other and can be very demanding if they don't like the way they think they are being treated.  Some are noisier than others about it all.  I don't envy you your decision....I've had to get rid of a couple of roosters because my neighbor objected, even though roosters are permitted here, and it just plain stinks!

Thank u for ur opinion and yes i fear u are right iam going to have to rehome some of the girls its hard because i already rehomed 3 so im still grieving over that. One was extremely loud and i diddnt want her to go alone so i sent her with 2 of her friends. I have been through alot with these girls. I had to cull 2 flocks before them to rid Marek’s so these chickens are my babies and my neighbor just doesn't understand i tried talking with her but she is the only neighbor that wont even talk to us. My other neighbor sais he doesnt even hear it nd he is literally right by the coop. The. Complaining neighbor is on the opposite side.

 

[Blooie]

I think you are very wise on two counts....that you are planning to do the right thing, and that you took everyone's comments so well. Sometimes when folks are hit with posts that don't say what they wanted them to say they get a little defensive. You didn't do that - you recognized that we are all just trying to help you keep half of your chickens and not "being mean" to you. Says a lot about your character!

 

[Lacrystol]

Thank u for ur opinion and yes i fear u are right iam going to have to rehome some of the girls its hard because i already rehomed 3 so im still grieving over that. One was extremely loud and i diddnt want her to go alone so i sent her with 2 of her friends. I have been through alot with these girls. I had to cull 2 flocks before them to rid Marek’s so these chickens are my babies and my neighbor just doesn't understand i tried talking with her but she is the only neighbor that wont even talk to us. My other neighbor sais he doesnt even hear it nd he is literally right by the coop. The. Complaining neighbor is on the opposite side.

You have one of those types of neighbors? i feel for you, I have one of those although my neighbors do not complain about my chickens and I have a LOT, he complains about my dogs. He's also complained about the neighbors dogs next to me and they have a shock fence up. He's just one of those types of neighbors that I guess don't have anything better to do but to whine, He's a really creepy guy too all you can do is try to make the best of it. Sad as it is but you have to do what you feel you have to do..

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sorry to hear about all the difficulties you've had so far with chickens, and that your neighbor really probably are just difficult people. Unfortunately that happens sometimes. I really do hope you can at least keep some of your chickens and that the remaining ones won't cause any more strife with the neighbors.

I hope I don't come off as one of those "stick in the mud, follow rules" types because I really do detest HOAs and restrictive ordinances. If I want to paint my house with purple polka-dots or have four dogs (that's a restriction in my area, 3 dogs or 3 cats or less, and yet I could have thousands of chickens??) I figure that's my business, as long as the house isn't falling down and unsafe, or as long as my pets aren't running loose. But that's part of the whole process in finding a place to live.