Loud hen all day. Is this normal?

[LaFleche]

Hi all,

I have six ~9 month old hens. They have been laying for about 3 months and I live in a cold, northern climate.

One of my buff orpingtons is so loud... she starts up right when it is light out or even just barely. Usually around 6:30am. Some days she isn't that incessant and some days she goes on until 2 or 3pm. She is just squawking over and over then sometimes will randomly bust out into her egg song even though she has not yet laid an egg or already did a while ago. She kind of sounds like a dog barking lol except a chicken sound.

Is this normal? Is she stressed or confused or? I worry because once spring/summer comes, this won't fly with the neighbors when their windows are open (I live in a suburban area) and she's going off for hours at 5am haha.

The thought of giving her away breaks my heart. She is like my best buddy out of all of them!!! And yes they have everything they need. Water, food, free range option, covered run, coop, things to climb on, etc. I'm at a loss! Any advice?

Thank you!

In flocks without a rooster, often the dominant hen will take over and perform his part. Some will even stop laying and grow bigger combs, wattles and male feathers.

 

[3KillerBs]

That is what I call the "team building choir".

Before her molt, the Brahma in my avatar felt the need to announce not only her own egg, but every egg laid by her flockmates.

 

[Motherof4Girls]

My rhode island reds where crazy noisy the 1st year...now they are quiet ladies and don't announce everything under the sun. I added 2 buff orpington's to my flock and oh man are they chatty!! Sounds like a dying goose at times!! They are young, under a year old...Im hoping they will simmer down as they mature, like my rhode islands. I do pop my head out and call to my ladies when they get unnecessarily noisy. Which seems to help. We check on the eggs when they get noisy too. Sometimes they stop squawking after we grab their eggs.

 

[Vicker]

I had a red hen that I named Jabberwocky. She talked all day long and seemed as content as can be. It was just her personality.

 

[allameraucana]

In flocks without a rooster, often the dominant hen will take over and perform his part. Some will even stop laying and grow bigger combs, wattles and male feathers.

Hmm maybe that's what mine is trying to do. I was already pretty certain she was the dominant one. Great lol

 

[allameraucana]

I had a lavender Orpington that did that.. mainly on days she was going to lay.. but it was basically her personality that never changed.

I also had a top hen crow (pathetically) when all roosters were removed, but never YET in my hen only flocks.

Do NOT go give that hen something early in the mornings, It will be her training you to her beckon call! Consider adding in some dark curtains or other light blockers.. chickens can sense dawn several hours before the sun actually rises and they don't get up in the dark.

One EE I had would preach the loudest sermon from the highest pulpit she could find for hours on end.. on the days she was gonna lay. It was trick to get all the rest of the flock ignoring her and THEN she would quiet down and sneak off unnoticed to a hidden nest!

Both were great hens, confident and friendly, with fantastic personality!

I sincerely doubt it will change but hope that it works out. Maybe share eggs with your neighbors, listen kindly and take action (possibly re-homing) IF/when they express concern and thank you for caring!

Extra plants can help dampen sound. Coop opening position does a LOT to direct the sound, So I keep solid walls on the neighbor side with openings facing my house when possible. Otherwise an adjustable wood shutter (of sorts) might also be helpful like that.

It does sound completely normal to me, so at least that worry can be alleviated!

Best wishes!

PS. Welcome, I hope you are enjoying BYC!

Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[3KillerBs]

After the last culling, most of my boys sound like teenagers whose voice is just beginning to drop gargling mouthwash before their first date.

Though Rameses had a decent crow from an early age, Ludwig spent weeks only able to go "Awwww!"

 

[McChooky]

My hens don't, I have plenty of roosters. BUT, and possibly instructive to your situation, several of my hens will seemingly join in something resembling "egg song" when not laying. They do so while another hen *IS* laying (and singing) - generally at some distance from the laying hen. My birds free range during the day on several acres. I theorize that they are doing so in an effort to confuse predators by creating the impression that there are several hens who might be "occupied" and unable to flee as easily as others, and to add confusion as to the site of any given nest....

I thought this was normal - its been my experience since getting chickens - so I've not really thought about it, beyond making up a plausible sounding reason for why it might be occuring. The Real Reason??? No clue. Maybe I'm right. Probably not.

Actually that makes a lot of sense! I couldn't tell myself who was laying last summer because some of them were running in and out of the coop and others were singing along. My hound spent a lot of time at the chicken coop last summer guarding the chickens from an imaginary predator that was making them all squawk!

 

[Motherof4Girls]

My hens don't, I have plenty of roosters. BUT, and possibly instructive to your situation, several of my hens will seemingly join in something resembling "egg song" when not laying. They do so while another hen *IS* laying (and singing) - generally at some distance from the laying hen. My birds free range during the day on several acres. I theorize that they are doing so in an effort to confuse predators by creating the impression that there are several hens who might be "occupied" and unable to flee as easily as others, and to add confusion as to the site of any given nest....

I thought this was normal - its been my experience since getting chickens - so I've not really thought about it, beyond making up a plausible sounding reason for why it might be occuring. The Real Reason??? No clue. Maybe I'm right. Probably not.

Yes my hens did this too! I figure they were all worked up and excited, but I like your idea that it would be to confuse predators.

 

[Bella Dominique]

I have a barred rock whose very talkative. I usually think its cute, but during the summer she’ll follow me around talking so much I’ll have to go inside to get some peace. It cracks me up when after laying she’s singing away while eating her feed, which of course makes her feed fly all over the place. She’s my favorite and I like that she wants to be near me.