Need your advice on what to do about chicken noise in the early mornin

[boogiedog]

I find that my ladies are much quieter when I load up their run with treats. When I let them out at the crack 'o early I make sure that there are lots of greens, scratch, BOSS tossed around the run. They are too busy looking, picking and eating to make much noise. I have 33 hens...

 

[Latoxica]

I have had two chickens since May 2010. The issue I encountered two months getting chicks was I discovered they sing the egg song. I had been reading the coops and design forum of BYC mostly, and somehow I didn't ever come across the egg song. Had I known they would yell so much (primarily early morning , any other time of the day I don't mind), my decision to get chickens may have been different. Also, they whine loudly in the morning before the sun is fully out. I'm guessing it's not unique to mine, but it sounds like a louder, deeper, longer version of a crow's call. It is not a rooster call.

I am trying to ask for advice on how to at least reduce the noise they make until 8:00am or so, when I imagine most people are awake in the morning. I live in a suburban neighborhood. I have consulted the local livestock/animal zone laws for San Jose and my setup and number of chickens meets all the laws (with margin too).

My coop is 4'x4' and my run is 4'x6'. Their feeder and waterer is in the run. My popdoor the way I built it is stuck and unusable because the recent rain has caused it to swell and get stuck (in retrospect I should have left more clearance when building the guillotine pop door, I have learned now...). Modifying the original popdoor is impossible since the panels around it are caulk, primed, and painted, because the popdoor is underneath. Previously when the popdoor was operational, I would close and lock it at night for added safety. My run is pretty secure even though my popdoor is stuck now. When they were locked in the coop in the morning (only for about an hour after they woke up), they still made whining noises and sung chicken songs but it was more muffled. Still definitely noticeable to the surrounding neighbors I'm sure, but much more manageable. I am embarrassed that my two girls are waking up and irritating my neighbors. Many of them may not know which house (ours) owns chickens but I'm sure they know a house nearby does.

I really enjoy my chickens. I don't mind they're loud during the day, it's just the morning hours that I feel is the problem. Here are the options I am considering and would appreciate your advice. I've come here alot in the past year reading all the great information and help on BYC, including getting familiar with alot of the regular posters here. Here it goes:

Options
-- Would really like to avoid it, but give away chickens on Craigslist. Attempt to sell coop and run that I spent 3 months building. I put alot of hard work into it and it's decently good for a first coop, but it's probably 200+ lbs and I probably won't be able to move it again unless I dissemble most of it and have to recaulk it again if I ever move it.
-- Build a new popdoor on the inside (since the outside one is stuck open). Keep them inside until about 8am like before.
-- If contained inside until 8am, necessary to add food and waters? Or just highly recommended? There isn't much space inside the coop.
-- Cover windows with black plastic to give illusion of darkness. This would only be for half of the windows. They are not ventilation windows normally, the vents on top provide about 3.5-4 sq feet of ventilation. That will stay.
-- Any other creative ideas are most welcome!

I need to figure out a solution to my problem! I just need to figure out how to reduce their noise (or noise perceived by neighbors) until 8am...

I live in the city my neighbor has chickens and perhaps roosters too. They start howling really loud at 3am all the way to 5pm not sure why can they be hungry? There in cages too. In the night it smells like burn feathers. In the summer it smells like blood. He puts a dirty trash can that smells not sure what his thinking I guess since I live in south central he thinks no one will care.
The noise is intolerable is making me crazy lol.
He started with 2 or 3 chickens but he has a lot now. He has only asked my dad if his okay with it but what about the others that surround my neighbor he doesn’t ask me.