Loud chicken!

[chooks4life]

Quote: Yes. It's actually their natural predator/warning-alarm call, modified from centuries of domesticity into something that no longer represents panic or predator's presences, but is often combined with an obsessive/compulsive mindset devoid of logic or the ability to stop, in some cases. It's highly heritable and quiet chooks can learn it without warning, despite ignoring it previously. It can be a serious noise issue.

 

[crc310]

He only does it a few times a day, if that (only have 4 hens). Luckily, we don't have to worry about noise here It is quiet most of the day. He crows occasionally and copy's egg songs. He is, obviously, noisiest when there is a predator! He loves his ladies!

 

[chooks4life]

Some of my roosters were the same too, it never escalated until I brought in those spare-brained chickens. I didn't used to cull for any chicken's fondness for singing the 'egg song' and after culling the 'panic-maestros' I don't cull offhand for it, because it's within reason. But I do discourage it.

It's probably fine in most people's situations and not an issue. For years it's been fine for me, only once did it blow up into an issue, and since then, again, it's fine. Thankfully any chickens so neurotic they would make panic noises all day every day aren't a loss to me or the flock. They kept the stress levels too high.

 

[HereChikyChiky]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses! Scarlett has always been bossy and mouthy, but this has been pretty crazy. We live in close range to our neighbors and well...I worry about complaints. No one has said anything yet, but I figure if she's grating my last nerve with her tantrums, she's probably bothering someone else too.

We do shut them in the coop and the run at night--lots of cats, raccoons and dogs. We started this past weekend letting them out first light, and they do get snacks--left overs or fruit and veggies mixed with a little grit. Ginger is a daily egg girl, Ruby is every other day so far. Scarlett--not yet, but I think because she is such a prima donna, she doesn't like sharing the nesting boxes with the other girls. She'll figure it out eventually. I guess she could be laying outside in the yard somewhere too, but I haven't found anything yet.

The noise is back to a manageable level by letting them range the yard first thing in the morning. I do spoil them with treats, I admit. But I just enjoy them so much. As for adding a cockerel to the madness, our city ordinance won't allow them, and I just want the fresh eggs and the benefits of pest control, and yes they're more pets for me than producers

Rena

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: Good bet that she is laying elsewhere, I reckon. Best wishes with your illicit nest hunt.

 

[twochickens]

One of my hens makes a horrible racket! while our other one makes a little noise. Sometimes its kinda funny. But she mostly does it if they are locked up still or when they get feed.

 

[travis5292]

I got my first egg from my new group of pullets this past sunday. On the Friday before, I noticed my lone RSL was walking around in the run, just talking up a storm....not real loud, but definitely something out of the norm. She was acting like she was at the top of the pecking order, which she is actually at the bottom. Saturday morning, she was in the nest box, as the others looked on, still making noise. Sunday morning I caught her again, in the box. This time, an egg.
I think when they start to notice a change in their body, (when the egg is produced) they start getting "Lippy" (not the word I really want to use). Are we allowed to feed Midol to our chickens?

 

[aleia]

Lol! Scarlet reminds me of mine! Heart, the loud one, has a combination of a horrendous squack and egg-laying song, but this is in no way correlated with her egg laying, nor her treats. (She is free-ranged, plus gets plenty of food and kitchen scraps.) I am hoping she grows out of it; none of the other chickens are copying her behavior thank goodness!

 

[All Ball]

The lead chicken in my small flock makes the roaring squawk, very loudly, when she wants me to give her treats -- sunflower seeds, her favorite addiction.

I have never responded to her roaring by providing her with what she's roaring about, but she doesn't seem to have noticed.

She seems to be working herself into a bit of a tizzy and I would like to cut the neurotic cycle.

Chooks4life, could you give some hints on how you trained the ones you were able to train to quiet on your command? This morning I tried making an aggressive gesture toward her head when she squawked, and it seemed to stop her. It seems like I should only do this when I am outside with her -- she likes my companionship, so if I went outside to discipline her, she might take it that she's getting a reward from her noise.

I guess I should also open up the coop door before she starts making noise. I've been using her as an alarm clock, but that is probably just encouraging her...

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: That's more or less it --- do something to stop them making the sound, and break the pattern. It becomes a habit, so it takes a little bit to break it.

When I was in the vicinity and one or more chooks started the panic song, I'd do something along the lines of loudly say "ah-ah!" (same sound I tell the dogs off with) and clap my hands. This generally startled them into silence, but they'd usually start again, and then I'd make a quick beeline toward the chicken that started it. A mock charge like the alphas do to the subordinates. That usually startled them into silence again, but this time they usually took the hint. Soon it was enough to quietly say "ah-ah" in a warning tone if one started, and it'd shut up, and none of the others would take up the chorus.

This won't necessarily work for all chickens, they're all different, but it worked for almost all of mine. I did end up culling those that would not quit. But at least the rest of the flock trained out of it ok. Chickens can understand if they're being punished for something, so they didn't become afraid of me, and they were still friendly and trusting in general... Just those odd spacky ones which I would have culled anyway, always troublesome. If you speak to them and the cause and effect is obvious they'll understand. Some won't want to listen but those ones you'll have to deal with differently. Some chooks are quite stupid, others quite smart.

Generally there's always one who starts it and keeps restarting it. I targeted that one, or ones, since all the other chickens are watching, and are smart enough to put two and two together and thus realize that a chicken beginning to scream for no good reason gets run off by the human. Anyway, if the chicken didn't stop there (since some of the spackier hens would run off still making the noise at the top of their lungs) I would herd her into the cage and catch her and isolate her for a little while. (Calm-down/time-out sort of thing). When the issue progressed to the extent that they were all going off nonstop all day every day I'd throw very light things at the starters. Nothing that would hurt them but pretty quickly they understood they'd better not stand around the house yard or paddock and yell over nothing.

This was an isolated phase that's only occurred once, thankfully. My methods may not work for you, but whatever you try I hope it works. The nonstop sound of chicken alarm calls can be nerve grating.