Locking up Chooks and the noise!

[vicky]

Hi Everyone,
I need advice on keeping chickens quiet in a new housing arrangement.

We're moving house and will need to keep the chickens locked up in a yet to be constructed run as our new house doesn't have a proper fence yet.

At the moment our 2 chickens are just free ranging in the backyard (and sometimes the entire street when they jump the fence).
When I do lock them up in their big aviary (3m x 2m x 2m) they make an incredible racket to be let out again. Soooo Noisy!!!!

So, what's the best way to go about getting them used to being jailbirds again? I don't want our new neighbours to get ticked off at us straight away! :-(

Thanks for any ideas.

- Vicky

 

[Mahonri]

I don't know that you can change their personality.

Mine have the habit of making a racket as soon as they see me and the sooner I feed them the sooner they shut up.

Keep them fed continually? I don't know.

 

[vicky]

Ours were incredibly noisy in the mornings and we'd go out and feed them and they'd quieten down.

Then we went on holidays for 6 weeks and had friends look after them. They fed them around lunch time each day, and now they don't make any noise in the morning.
I'm also really careful now to not feed them unless they're quiet. If they're making any noise then I don't even let them see me.

So, I'm thinking they can be reconditioned it will just takes time. Just wondering if there's a way to speed up the process.

 

[Mahonri]

Mine have me conditioned. If I take time to feed the chicks first, they get louder till I can't stand it and rush over to feed them so they'll shut up!

 

[Dust Bunny]

first maybe clip wings to stop the fence jumping then lace the run with goodies, lots of greens, berrys even hang fruit with twine to make them work for it and toss out some scratch grain, this may not stop the noise but it sure wont hurt anything, oh also it may help to give them a radio birds like music and it will also fool some predators into thinking "people are in there!" hope this helps and good luck!

 

[spotsplus]

LOL- I think a lot of chickens have thier people conditioned. Mine conditioned me to bring some kind of treat out if I came out to visit or they would loudly tell me about it!

Seriously though, they do learn to make noise at feed time because they make noise and you come with food therefore they think to make noise produces food and same with making noise when they see people. They relate "feeding" with people. You can "teach" them to be quieter by going out a few times a day and just don't feed them or give them attention.

For your situation, it being temporary, I have found that I can occupy my chickens by giving them hay when they are in the coop. They love going through it to get the goody pieces in it. I had to pen three hens that had free ranged my yard for 2 years. They let me know they were not happy campers to be in a coop, no matter how large. So I started giving them things to "occupy" them like giving them the hay, visiting a few times a day and tossing some scratch grains in the coop. (mine is bedded in hay so they have quite the time "rooting" around in the hay to find the grains). You can tie some lettuce on a string and hang it so the hens can pick at it. Same with millet seed on the stalk but not too much of that- it's more of a treat. After a week or so they no longer tell me how awful it is in the coop and enjoy the other chickens and the treats

Tammie

 

[vicky]

Thanks for the ideas.

And Tammie thanks for the reassurance and example that it can be done.


Last night I locked them in their coop a little earlier than they normally would put themselves to bed and they were fine.

This morning though the racket was unbeleivable for just 2 chooks. I think the main reason is because I have clipped their wings they have trouble flying down from the roost (quite high) and they hit the side of the cage before they hit the ground. I used to leave the door open and they'd fly out the front door when they wanted to get down.

I might have to build some sort of ramp for them to learn to walk down instead of kamikaze flying down.

______

Also, it's now almost 12pm and they've been locked up all day and they've hardly made a noise, once they were down off the roost. So I'm very hopeful!!!
Just need to make their morning descent easier on them.

 

[Harrietsmum]

After my birds have put themselves to bed, I go out and put their breakfast in the run. When they get down off the roost in the morning, they go straight to the food. No more shouting at 6am!