How to make them SHUT UP!

[Carrie Lynn]

I have a baby monitor in the pen and wake up each morning to my two hens softly singing with the song birds. It's really very sweet, even at 6:30 a.m. But then, the banty starts this awful screehing as she demands to be let out of the coop. The BA starts to accompany her in a moment or two. Although she is so much smaller, the banty's voice is really the problem, it is loud! Since my small coop has an open (wire) side, the noise is a problem, and I don't want my neighbors to be bothered. So, I am trained to go hurrying out there in my nightgown to open the coop, then it's back to bed. What else can I do?

I do know that, as soon as I am able, I will get an automated pop door so I don't have to get up so early...spoiled little brat chicken!

Good Luck to us!

P.S. I would think some chickens might be more content in the early a.m. if they have food & water in the coop, but not mine.

 

[Bravo]

I can sympathize with you. How is your coop set up? I agree with others about keeping it dark. My coop does not have windows and it keeps everyone quiet and asleep until I let them out. Once they are out we have a routine that they head straight for the food so I make sure the feeders are full before they are released. I try to keep the girls locked up until 7:30AM on weekdays and 8:30 on weekends to keep the neighbors happy. Egg bribes go a long way too

Even then I've had a few drama queens that make noise regardless. I've had to rehome those girls but it was very easy to do.

Hopefully you can resolve the problem before your neighbors notice.

 

[feathersnuggles]

I used to have only one early a.m. loud honk/screamer. But she's taught almost all of them now.

That said, I found it's WAY worse when I give even the slightest attention to them. If I tell them to "shhhsh", they just get louder. So, I try to ignore them best I can. Also, on Saturday night I almost always put special treats into their run after they are on the roost for the night. That makes early Sunday a.m. a little more bearable for us and for the neighbors, because they are very preoccupied for a while when they come into the run. And, since they didn't see me toss in those treats, hopefully I'm not feeding them the attention they seek thru honking.

 

[matimeo]

Quote:
I love how you start the post asking for people to focus on solutions and then half of the responses tell you it can't be done. I posted something similar recently and got a bunch of the same junk. I actually just solved the problem you're dealing with. I think my chickens had been conditioned to squawk every morning to be let out of their coop or run and we often reinforced it by having our son take out the table scraps in the morning when he let them out. We fixed the problem by making an automatic door so they don't even see us anymore in the morning and their coop is open when they wake up. For a little while I would squirt them with a super soaker if they were being especially noisy
and I think that sped ip the learning curve by introducing a negative reinforcement instead of a positive one. Don't listen to the people who just want to tell you something is impossible.
Chickens can be taught if you can isolate the variable that are making them noisy or the need that isn't being met. You'll figure it out.

 

[Juiced10]

Quote:
I give mine a Flock Bloc. They love it and it keeps them busy! I don't have a real noise problem with them.

 

[teffie23]

I had same problem. I let my chickens have the run of my garden, they did get up when they wanted, but i found they were gathering on the back door step and making a noise. I presume to encourage me to get up and feed them. The one hen sounded like a toy trumpet and at 4am, it wasnt a joyful sound. I now lock them in at night, initially they were noisy in the hen house and you could still hear them but after a week they got the idea. They still wait on the back door step, but this is later in the day.

 

[Spoof]

Chickens can be taught if you can isolate the variable that are making them noisy or the need that isn't being met. You'll figure it out.

I agree, classical conditioning! My neighbor has the same number of hens as I do, her house is almost 1/2 mile away. I can hear her hens screaming at the top of their lungs when feeding time comes around.

I've made it a point to not respond when mine make noise or wait until they lose interest, call them and reward silence or low clucking - I've probably got the quietest flock you've never heard.

Before I got mine I did some experimentation when I chicken sat for her. I walked over at various points during the day, made the oooooo hen noise and would throw something in the pen. Now they mimic my noise and other than that... nothing. The sound is triggered by my neighbor's presence, now when she is gone they are silent even when I feed.

Intriguing eh?​

 

[elabraleon]

It is good news that they can in fact be taught.

We have a coop with a sliding floor hatch where they exit to a ramp. it is enclosed by a chicken wire fence. They have at least 100 square feet of run. maybe 200. their run area is mostly dust and dirt. They have access to feed and water inside their enclosure. I do not shut the hatch at night. They wake up in the morning come out, then arent satisfied with their run and scream and complain until I give them scratch. Then they eat it and start yapping again!! This morning I gave up and let them out into the yard to nibble the fresh grass and weeds. But I hate to do this because we have some grape vines with young fruit low enough for the chickens to eat. I don't want to lose our grape crop to them. Also my husband built the run because he didn't want the chickens "crapping all over and tearing up the yard".

This morning at 6 am they started up. I tried removing the loudest hen (ringleader) and putting her in the dog kennel inside. She quieted down right away. But the second loudest took over her job and screamed up a storm. so I put #2 in the dog kennel where she was quiet as a mouse. Then a 3rd offender screamed her lungs out. Thats when I gave up. Let them all outside, and prayed they didnt get into the grapes.

Maybe I need to put some sod in their run... Is that safe? does it usually have fertilizer in it? Do you think they would be more content?
Maybe I'll try the hose tomorrow.

 

[karlamaria]

Mine get out when I get up, they stay in the coop until around 8:00 am some days. That being said we fill up there food dishes before we lock them down for the night, all waters filled and we never feed them in the morning ! This makes it easy for no noise, they go out into the run and start there day snacking on the food that is in the coop or in a bowl ( crumble) we fill and leave in the run . Treats are when I get home from work, no way do I want them demanding anything from me in the mornings lol. They know when I drive up goodies are on the way! My chickens are very quiet, unless the egg song. Oh they can be chipper when treats are had, but they settle right down to business and are very quiet girls.

 

[csummer8882]

I have 6 chickens. They aren't laying yet but they should be soon. Mine are very quiet. They don't bawk yet, they are still in the honking stage. LOL Their coop is about 300 feet away from our house and I NEVER hear them....ever. They honk when we get close and pace, waiting to see if we have picked them some grass or grape leaves. I hope you get it figured out and fixed! Good luck!