How noisy are they??

[elmo]

Some breeds of chickens tend to be louder than others, while some are exceptionally quiet. You can research and factor that in when you decide which breed to get.

 

[starless825]

Mine are very loud in my opinion in the mornings. They have a run attached to the coop, so they go out as early as they please, but I hear them making loud noises now in the morning. It doesn't stop when I feed/water/treat them either. It will generally stop if I let them out of the coop/run, but often time I don't have time to do this (work etc). They were fairly quiet until a few weeks ago when they started laying eggs. So I am not sure why this started, but they also make the noises during the day too. It's like they are unhappy? I don't know, all I know is they are a lot louder than I expected!! I am waiting for my neighbors to start complaining... They complained when my I was raising a litter of puppies and they would go out potty at 6 am and whine, so I am assuming they are going to start complaining about the girls too.

 

[GardeNerd]

I would tell anyone getting chickens, there is no such thing as a quiet chicken. It is not in their nature. Some are far less talkative than others, but most will make some noise around egg laying time.

When I first was getting my chickens, I tried to get quieter breeds based on recommendations here at BYC and using the Breed selection tool at MyPetChicken. At first, they were all very quiet for months. It was great! Once they started laying, it all changed. Now, they all make some noise, but most of the time it isn't disruptive or loud. I was only expecting my Leghorn Hybrid to be a little noisy, and she was a fluke from a science project we kept. Well, she is definitely my loudest.

I thought it was just MY chickens learning from my Leghorn Hybrid, but the other chickens in the neighborhood are just as loud and some even more talkative throughout the day. My least talkative one is my Easter Egger, but she at the bottom of the pecking order too. The other breeds in the neighborhood that make some noise (not just the egg song) are Red Star, Black Australorp, Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, and Speckled Sussex. All of these are often suggested as being quiet breeds. I think it can depend on the individual chicken and how high up in the pecking order they are.

Sometimes if I want to sleep in, I cover the coop with a cover to keep the light out as long as possible in the morning. That gives us until maybe 7 or 7:30 with no noise. Then I have to let them out to forage and/ or bribe them with treats to keep it down until maybe 8. After that, I don't worry about it.

 

[winstonsgrrrl]

Thanks for the replies. I'm planning on making my run as predator-proof as possible and leaving the coop door open at all times. I'm hoping this will keep down the racket they may cause from waking up and wanting out into the run. If the neighbors do complain, we will just have to move the whole shebang to the other side of our house. However, we love on a corner lot at a busy intersection, so we prefer to have the chicks tucked in behind the house rather than out in the open.

 

[bigredfeather]

A clucking chicken isn't as annoying as a barking dog.

Goodluck!

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
I agree!

However, lots of folks in the city have dogs so it gets tuned it out after a while, unless it is a problem dog right next door. Chicken clucking is an unusual sound around here and neighbors will notice it. If they aren't okay with it, and it is NOT legal to have them, someone could have a problem.

 

[winstonsgrrrl]

Is there much noise difference between 2 and 3 birds? I know they vary a lot depending on personalities, but I'm debating on starting with just two or getting three. My coop/run will be set up to accommodate up to five.

 

[KatEvans]

We ended up with seven and I'm not sure we'll keep all of them. They are noisiest about 6:45am when they stand at the door to the henhouse wanting to be let out into the chicken yard. Also, I have one that does something like BGWAK, BGWAK at the top of her lungs mid-afternoon. She doesn't seem to be doing it when she lays an egg, so I'm not sure what's going on with her. Our henhouse is against the fence between the neighbor's and us . They haven't complained yet.....{fingers crossed}.

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
It is easier to downsize your flock than add to it. If you start with 2 and something happens, you will have a lonely hen. I would get three, just in case.

 

[eastbaychicks]

My older chickens just started laying and of the three only one is loud. I have tried to bribe her with treats... and that works for a few minutes. I really think it's just her being the top of the pecking order. Anyone else think it's a pecking order 'thang'?

I did notice that since having chickens, my neighbor with the loudest dog now lets him out freely... which they didn't do before and that dog as THE most annoying bark. So I guess we're even. I hope. Otherwise I have to pull a permit from my city which is 15$ a year. I'm within code, but the guy at the city who had chickens himself said don't pay the fee until you have to because a neighbor complains. When talking to the neighbors I was sure to let them know I'd been down to the city and talked to them. I'm hoping they don't complain. PLEASE DON'T.

I love my chickens and am sooo happy my hubby gave in.