Loud mouthed hen in the city

[new chick chick]

I have a black Australorp that is just starting to lay eggs. She is beautiful! However, she is very noisy and we live in the city. I have neighbors all around and I'm afraid they are going to complain. I have two other hens and all of them get along very well. If I have to get rid of her how does one introduce another hen to the rest of the flock? Anyone else had this problem?

 

[Elphaba2140]

First of all welcome and congrats on the new eggs! I am not familiar with that breed however I am going through my second year of newly laying pullets. Yes I am sure she is Bawk Bawk Bawking as loud as can be (singing the egg song). I assure you they will get quieter and settle down. I understand some stay on singing but I found with mine that after a couple of weeks they are no longer long and loud. In fact very few of mine sing at all.

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Welcome and yipppeeee for the eggs! I have Brahmas (both Standard and Bantam) that are VERY noisy. As soon as the sun comes up they start and don't stop until they get let out of the coop. They also do that whenever they are going to lay.They are just over a year old now. I also have EE's, d"anvers, Cochins, and RIR mixes and none of them are at all noisy.

She probably will not change I am sorry to say. If you need to rehome her and get a replacement I reccommend getting two that are around five or six months old. It is very difficult to do just one becasue it ends up being a "gang" issue and one cannot take on the hits of two hens. You should add the equal amt. or more than the original number. It's not impossible, just easier on everyone involved. Good Luck!

 

[new chick chick]

Thanks for that advice. That makes sense. Are there some breeds that are quieter than others?

 

[Elphaba2140]

I have new pullets this year. I decided to expand my already varied flock. Of the new girls, the Cochins are the best. I never here a peep out of them and they are so laid back. My loudest by far-A polish girl! And the 2 silkies. Those three make more noise than the rest of them put together.

 

[NottinghamChicks]

I have EE, RIR and Cochin mixes , and d'Anvers that are all quiet. Never hear them at all except a little small talk. My Brahmas are by far the friendliest which makes their noisiness all worth it

 

[Sozoed]

We too have a LOUD Sexlink singing her egg song, but no eggs as of yet. The girls are between 5 and 6 months right now. Would it be humane to cover the coop with a dark cloth to get them to quiet down? Or would this confuse them? The Sexlink is extremely loud..sounds like a honking goose!

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

One of my Delaware hens is a loud mouth, too.


Interestingly enough, her name is Lucy -- we named her after Lucy Ricardo, the loud mouth, dizzy dame from the 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy.


Wonder if that has anything to with her loud mouth nature?

 

[Wildflower_VA]

I have six black Australorps that started to lay on July 24th. They went from quiet to obnoxiously loud about a month before they started to lay. The first couple of weeks after they started to lay, they were so loud I wanted to be the neighbor who complained!

Now, three weeks later, they are just noisy when they actually lay an egg. They are back to being sweet, quiet little hens. Don't get rid of her yet.

 

[kmetzker]

i have 3 black sex links that also honk like geese. they are so loud, especially when i am not quick enough to let them out of their run in the morning. they are not laying yet so should i expect them to get louder? my brahma seems pretty quiet. We're in the city too and have illegal birds so i'm hoping they aren't any noisier than all the dogs in the neighborhood. we did have a EE rooster who had to be relocated :-(