Name your quietest chicken breed - Poll

[warhorse]

Quote:
My sex-links woke me from a sound sleep with such a racket I thought sure something was killing them. It turns out it was only their "look, I laid an egg" ritual. So, no my sex-links aren't necessarily quieter than any of my other breeds.

 

[annmarie]

My sex-links woke me from a sound sleep with such a racket I thought sure something was killing them. It turns out it was only their "look, I laid an egg" ritual. So, no my sex-links aren't necessarily quieter than any of my other breeds.

Okay so certainly not all sex links are quiet! We'll exclude San Antonian sex-links!

Here's the latest tally:
Silkie - 4
Cochin (or Pekin) Bantam – 2
Cochin (standard, I’m assuming) - 1
Easter Egger - 4
Buff Orpington - 3
Ameraucana (okay to group Black Ameraucana in here?) - 2
Cuckoo Maran (I‘m assuming French Cuckoo Maran and Cuckoo Maran are the same?) – 2
Golden Comet (SL) - 1
Red Star (SL) – 1
Black Star (SL) – 1
Cinnamon Queen (SL) – 1
(could also group the above four as Sex Links – 4)
Rhode Island Red (breeder quality!) - 1
Japanese Bantam - 1
Barred Rock – 1
Silver Spangled Hamburg (unless catching one!) – 1
Andalusian – 1
Light Brahma – 1
Dorkings - 1

Those more breed savvy than I, please let me know if I was okay to combine French Cuckoo Maran with Cuckoo Maran, and Black Ameraucana with just plain Ameraucana. Also let me know if I've screwed up anything else, like same breed/two different names, etc. Thanks!​

 

[New2Peeps]

I have 4 EEs and they are very quiet. They follow me around making little purring noises and occasional quiet clucks.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

Quote:
Actually pekins are just bantam cochins. They are called pekins more in the UK than in the US I believe.

My vote would be for orpingtons, wyandottes, or any sex link.

 

[mom'sfolly]

My wyandotte is by far and away the quietest, then rated in order

BO
RIR
Silkie (she rants, he crows incessantly)
EE (I laid an egg, I remember I laid an egg, I'll lay an egg again, oh yeah, I laid an egg)

But my sample size is small. Only 10 birds in all.

 

[SunAngel]

My Gold Pencilled Hamburg pullet is definitely my quietest. I'm not sure I have ever heard her make any sounds.

Next would probably be my 2 Silver Phoenix pullets. And then my Wheaten Ameraucana pullet and Silkies.

My Sex Links, EEs, RIR, Cochins and Game hens talk nonstop. They holler about egg laying, they yell for snacks and jibber jabber about everything on their minds apparently.

 

[redoak]

My two EE's are very quiet, but they are also on the bottom of the pecking order. (not sure if pecking order and amount of noise made has a relationship).

 

[basicliving]

This is really an interesting thread - I'm beginning to believe there is NO quiet breed, just some particular chickens may be quieter than others.

There was a vote for Dorkings - I have a Silver Gray Dorking rooster and he is VERY loud. Crows all the time at a VERY high volumn - and clucks and growls all day long. I'm not complaining about any of that - it's just funny to me that mine is so loud and noisy, and someone else has one that is not.

My Golden Penciled Hamburgs are extremely loud. They don't make a lot of noise during the day, but at egg laying time, look out! They squawk and fuss if someone is in a nest box they want, squawk and fuss when they get into the nest box, and squawk and fuss after they lay. They also tend to wander off alone and then scream bloody murder when they look up and don't see anyone else.

My White Faced Black Spanishes don't make a lot of noise, but when they do, they are loud.

My Leghorns never shut up and make the most gosh awful noises.

My Phoenix's are gentle and rarely make much noise - and when they do it's not loud at all. Even the rooster has a rather quiet crow compared to the Dorking. But the Phoenix is not the dominant rooster, so he rarely crows at all.

It really is interesting to me that so many breeds are quiet for some, and not for others.

Good luck in your search!

Penny

 

[jossanne]

My wyandotte is the loudest braggart when she lays her egg. I always know when she's left her contribution in the nest box. The white leghorns are next in line on the noisy scale.

I also have BR's, minorcas, an australorp, polish, an andalusian, and bantam cochins, but not all of them are laying yet, and if they are I haven't specifically caught them in the act.

As chicks, my cochins have been really quiet, especially compared to the BR packing peanuts. I hardly hear a peep out of them, except that one of the little roosters started crowing at almost 7 weeks old.

I think my quietest are my EE's and my hamburgs. The EE's are just mellow all the way around, and the hamburgs are always on the alert for danger... they're very shy. Judging by chick behavior, I'd be surprised if my cochins aren't the quietest in the end.

 

[EliteTempleton]

If quiet/stealth is your goal then I think it's better to just try and blend in with the natural/wild bird noises...

This thread on Quail is quite informative/useful:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281&p=1

And yes, they lay eggs daily too.