Noisy Chicken Advice Please

[tamglas]

We have had chickens for about a year now in a semi-urban setting. For a time one of our barred rocks (highest in the pecking order) was very loud and I was constantly trying to quiet her down so she wouldn't disturb the neighbors. She has a really disturbing loud cackle! I found ways to keep her busy throughout the day and this helped. I would added extra dirt around the pen for her dig around in, added lots of straw with dry mealworms for her to look for, after weeding I place everything I pull in the garden into the pen, lots of treats etc. Over the year she has quieted but others have temporarily taken her place. I have also noticed a pattern where they are usually loudest in the morning when egg laying is happening but afternoons are usually very quiet.

 

[jandrusrn]

I guess I am not being understood. I said in my original post that I don't expect my chickens to be quiet all the time or silent for that matter. I was just wondering, since only a few of them are noisy a lot of the time, if there was a breed more suitable for suburban living. Since Fred's Hens said that no breed in particular is quiet and that some are just neurotic, I wondered if I could weed out the "neurotic" ones and wind up with a not as noisy flock. I'm sorry I used the word "weed out", I meant re-home where they could make as much noise as they wanted. I would never cull a chicken for ANY reason. I know chickens make noise and I love my chickens and I enjoy the sounds of my chickens, mostly, but I also don't want to disturb neighbors. Dogs bark too, but I don't let my dog bark incessantly, it would be inconsiderate. I am not fortunate enough to live in farm county.

Thanks for making me feel like a horrible person for asking.

I certainly don't think you're a horrible person for asking anything. I, for one, live in a very very urban setting and have two hens... one is a barred Plymouth Rock and she is the quiet one of the two. Goes to show you that it makes very little difference (within reason) the breed of the bird, but the pecking order, the time of the day, the stuff going on in the yard, the hen house, the phase of the moon..... oh I could go on and on..... My BSL calls to me when I get up and is relentless while I'm fixing coffee in the morning until I get her something nice from the kitchen. That's just the way it is and I wouldn't change it. I bribe my neighbors with eggs, and they also eat well with the garden tomatoes, cucumbers, and other veggies that are "surplus" for our small family.

I have heard, however, if you can keep it darker where the chickens are, they may not make as much noise..... I don't worry yet, but I don't have to.....YET.

Please find a way to be kind to your neighbors and be kind to your chickens.... give them stuff to do. Give them treats.... I always have dirt around for loads of dust baths.... makes for a good time.

Dying to know what area you're in. I'm in Long Beach CA, and am waiting for the govt to change things too.... GRRRRRR

Be well....

 

[Fred's Hens]

I'll try to take one more stab at this. Chickens make noise. Many of their loud calls are not even related to egg laying per se. The calls are part of nature, as birds in general, have them and use them to communicate to other birds, both fellow flock members and to strangers. The chicken can and will respond to sounds, sirens, sonic booms, thunder, a chain saw, a car backfire, etc with very loud calls. The call is a signal that they are nervous or upset about something. The stimulus is often beyond your control.

I have had some extremely mouthy birds. I'll even admit to a few who have completely drove me nuts. Yes, I called them neurotic. Believe what you wish and call them whatever you wish, but some individual birds are extremely jumpy, nervous, very insecure, loud and expressive and removing them from the flock DOES quiet things. A few are no longer in my flock precisely for this reason. Some birds are calm and confident. It is not a bad thing to seek this trait among your small flock. Just be realistic.

If one bird is in the coop, for whatever reason, and the rest of the flock is outside in the run, separation anxiety seems to set in and they can start up hard and long. It is unknown and unpredictable. If a "loud" member is removed from the flock, it seems likely that someone else may just become the worry wort, and the cycle may continue.

The children's fable Chicken Little is filled with nods toward actual chicken behavior. For the chicken, the "sky IS always falling".

 

[CarolJ]

I wonder if maybe bantam breeds are quieter - simply because they're smaller? I don't know - but it's something you could look into. I put a plastic kiddie pool in my chicken run - put sand, dirt, ashes and DE in there - and they love getting in there and dust bathing. I'm sorry I don't have any great answers for you. Mine are awfully noisy sometimes - but fortunately we live way out in the country and don't have to worry about them bothering neighbors. Hope you find a solution.

 

[HenFriend]

I don't think there is much you can do to stop the noise. Just hope your neighbours are understanding. I have close neighbours and several roosters but no complaints, likewise I don't complain about the dog next door barking for hours, just live and let live. Good luck.

 

[Cori A]

Thanks Danielle. I do have bushes around the coop and no one has complained. I guess it's my own worries about not wanting to bother anyone, or actually my fear of being turned in and losing the chickens I love. I made a decision to re-home the two noisiest ones (I found a great home!) and replace them with buff orpingtons. I'm also not going to worry about the sound anymore and whatever happens, happens. I'll let you know if the quiet ones take over for the noisy ones.

 

[chiqita]

In my own small experience ees are LOUD. They love to celebrate any ones egg, I even had one sit above my broodies and sing last week in honor of the nest ( or trying to convince someone to get off so she could lay, ymmv) I see people re homing them frequently because they egg song so much. So you are more likely to have a loud ee. While there is no guarantee about getting a quiet chicken, silkies seem to me to be quieter then a lot of other chickens.

Maybe you should try and find some older chickens that you can ask about their noise level? like adopting a dog, mature means you know more about what you are getting then a puppy.

 

[Cori A]

I see your point and it makes good sense, but I am getting my chickens from someone who has a lot of chickens. Wondering if he pays attention to who is making what noise, especially if he has a lot of roosters too.. I am going to look today. I will ask him, maybe he does know who is making the noise. Thanks for the advice!

 

[2greenboyz]

I know what you are talking about. It probably bothers me more than the neighbors (who all have barky dogs) but all the same I don't want them announcing first thing in the morn when some people are trying to sleep or just becuz a neighbor's cat walks thru the yard. I've learned sometimes it helps to distract them. I keep some millet sprays on hand and - try not to do this too often or you'll condition them to yell

- but I take one of those out there - keeps them busy for an hour or so. You could do the same thing with a piece of fruit - almost time for melon season they love watermelon that will keep them occupied. I was especially concerned b/c while it is legal to have chickens here, the set backs put them in about a 2 inch square in the middle of my yard. Last winter we had to get the roof done. The city inspector had to come over twice to check the roof and I'm going PLEEze be quiet for a while, like NOW. Thank God he didn't even notice them.

Oh another idea - get one of those little balls that you fill up with a treat and they chase it around. Give them a job to do!

 

[Danielle27]

That's a great idea. I would definitely ask. Good luck today. I hope you find some nice quieter birds to add to the flock. Let us know how it goes.