Egg songs are changing my mind nabout getting hens

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

I live in a suburban neighborhood, I have ducks and a goose, they are all basically quiet most of the day with a few outbursts here and there. I can deal with their noise level, except when my goose is overly expressive. I have been wanting to get chickens next spring, 2 laying hens to keep eachother company and about 8 meat birds. I was considereing black australorps and speckled sussex as the laying hens becuase apparently they're quieter than other breeds and very dependable layers.

Does anybody have black australorps or speckles sussex hens that are noisy...especially about their egg song?

Is it possible to build a very insulated coop to keep the noise down when they do sing?

I would really like to get these chickens but I just can't imagine their noise level-added to my current flock-being ok....

WHat I'd love to hear is that people have these two breeds and that they're quiet singers....

 

[gritsar]

The only comment I can make...

Before I lost my salmon faverolles they were the noisiest birds in my larger coop. Now that they are gone, the two speckled sussex are the noisiest ones in that coop. They will come to the kitchen door and bawk! bawk! bawk! looking for a handout.

In my older coop, all brahmas, only one is loud, Jezebel. She's been loud since she was a chick and talks to herself all day. I've even heard her mumbling in her sleep.

BUT
All chickens are individuals, so even in the same breed some will be quieter than others and the egg song usually doesn't go on for long, maybe 10 minutes or so.

 

[aoxa]

I have four laying hens - none of which sing an egg song. I don't find any of them loud (I have 12) except the rooster in the morning. I actually want to hear an egg song, but if you don't want to hear it - maybe wait until you live somewhere more suitable for hens.

ETA: My Buff Laced Polish is 7 months old and still peeps like a chick. I have never heard anything loud come out of her mouth!

 

[mommissan]

Mine sing sometimes..... sometimes loudly, sometimes not at all. It's all about personality, environment and pride. My regular layers are quiet these past few days, maybe the rain has got them down? My newest layer won't shut up! In general, I think my flock is pretty quiet, especially now that there's only one rooster.

 

[bufforp89]

I would think if you have a goose a egg song would be nothing. Good Luck!

 

[Patricia Jane]

I have 12. Some days they are noisey, others they aren't. They like to converse with each other and sometimes a little bickering goes on or when they see me coming (for treats). I do have a Columbian Wyandotte who was very quiet until she went broody and raised a few babies, now she's the loudest. My Lt. brown leghorn is only noisey when singing her egg song. The barred rocks are pretty quiet. RIR aren't too bad and my EE's are real quiet. I think it depends on personality, enviroment, happiness etc.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
That's what I was thinking!

Forgot to mention...the absolute quietest bird I have is a minorca. She's very shy, very quiet, but also very beautiful.

 

[crossgirl]

My thirteen chickens don't come close to the noise my three geese would make and that includes the rooster.

The quietest that I have are the polish and the d'uccle. All they do is quiety peep and murmur to each other.

 

[mommissan]

Quote:
That's because they're planning to eat you....

 

[shelleen]

I have several breeds & the Australorps & EEs tend to be the quietest. RIR's are quite boisterous about their song. My roosters are all obnoxious, as well as the guineas.