Egg Song bothering neighbors

[crosbygroup]

What about putting a heavy moving type blanket over the roof and down the sides of the shed? You could try covering the shed with insulation and then put a second roof over the top so the chickens can't get to the insulation and so it will stay dry. keep the door on her side closed and put a heavy blanket or carpet on that side? The more sound proofing the better. I would not worry about them getting enough light if the other side is open.

Good luck

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
I agree. So far she's been nice to you because she sees how much you enjoy your chickens. You need to do your best to accomodate her. I'd suggest insulating your coop, and if you don't have windows, maybe put a light on a timer in there so you can shut the door and they can still have their light so as not to affect egg production. I appreciate that you are trying to find a solution to the problem instead of being a rude neighbor. Maybe you could bake them something or bring some other gift to them and tellher that you are trying to find a solution to the problem.

 

[hispoptart]

Quote:
I agree. So far she's been nice to you because she sees how much you enjoy your chickens. You need to do your best to accomodate her. I'd suggest insulating your coop, and if you don't have windows, maybe put a light on a timer in there so you can shut the door and they can still have their light so as not to affect egg production. I appreciate that you are trying to find a solution to the problem instead of being a rude neighbor. Maybe you could bake them something or bring some other gift to them and tellher that you are trying to find a solution to the problem.

I agree, just make sure what you bake doesn't have eggs in it

 

[STLchicken-chick]

Thanks again for all the advice. I live in an unincorporated area, so not quite city, not quite county. I couldn't find any hard and fast rules about chickens in my area so I'm sure if someone complained it could be an issue. Also, like Franko said, I just don't want to infringe on other's. I did go buy an XL plastic dog crate last night. I'm going to put it in the coop and close them in at night. Hopefully if I don't let them out until about 8am that should help with the noise. The girls had been waking up and being loud at the first sign of light, sometimes before 6am

I'm hoping they will also quiet down once they get in their routine. As of yesterday I have 4 out of 5 laying, so this should be as loud as it gets. My husband and I arent' very handy at building/insulating so this setup will have to work until either I find something else on Craigslist or my family comes to visit next summer and we can build a coop on the other side of the yard.

 

[dainerra]

You'll definitely have to insulate and soundproof the coop. Those metal sheds are HORRIBLE for living quarters. They echo(as you've noticed) the walls give off cold air like crazy in winter and then turn into ovens in the summer. We had one as a kid inWV and in the summer it was too hot to stand inside. I can't imagine what they would be like in a GA summer.
Of course, soundproofing and insulating is going to be almost as expensive as a new coop.

If you plan on building, start now. Or look into buying a kit online.

I'm not sure the dog crate will work. If you leave them in the coop. They are still going to see the light. Start their noise. Can you shut both doors? That will do more towards keeping it dark. But if it IS egg song and not "hey hey it's morning!" Then they they are going to still lay in the dog crate and be just as noisey as outside.

 

[chickmama1662]

All the soundproofing and covering up the coop sounds like good ideas, just don't forget about ventilation for the girls. Remember, they do need their fresh air. Good luck.

 

[LN2008]

Quote:
I agree with this. We have a huge german shepard for a neighbor who loves to bark at me all the time. He especially loves to bark at 3 am. I hate that dog (and I'm not a dog hater in the least bit). If my neighbors can tolerate that annoying dog they can sure tolerate my three little chickens. If moving the coop could ever be feasible, then maybe that'd be the best answer. Or adding some more insulation. I also think your neighbor will get used to it. I used to live next to train tracks(I mean, right next to the tracks) and I learned to sleep through it. If I were you I'd find some other way to suck up besides eggs since the neighbor is allergic. Maybe some fresh fruit preserves or some sort of randomly nice christmas present??

Dunno!

 

[franko]

The fact that you are posting here to find a solution tells me you are concerned enough about your neighbor that you will come up with a good solution. Good luck, and let us know what happens and how you solved the problem. We will all benefit. Franko

 

[Aemelia]

That sucks. It would seem that metal would echo a lot more than wood. I have honestly never heard the egg song in spite of us having 3 laying hens. My girls are quiet I have never heard them in my front yard. If my windows are closed I can't hear them at all. If I happen to in the room next to their coop with the window open then I can hear them. What type of birds did you get? Ive read on here some birds are louder than others. My Production Red, Rhode Island Red and Wyandotte are basically silent birds. I have only ever gotten them loud enough to hear when I tried to move a hen that wanted to lay into the nestbox they can for sure make noise they just don't.

 

[GardenGal]

Maybe you could find a builder who's looking to make a little extra money? Building your own coop is usually cheaper than buying something comparable ready made - plus you can make it exactly how you want.

There are a lot of great books and videos out there on how to build things. I'm no great shakes at it, but I can build something that works, and still have all my fingers. Hey, you have all winter to dream up a really cool coop - could be fun!