Noisy Hens- Advice Wanted!

[Momma_Bean]

Mine are extra noisy when I’m outside. They’re either expecting a treat, or they want out of the run. Either way, as soon as I disappear, they quiet down.
Might I suggest giving them a treat to distract for a minute? Seems to work here... and also, your backyard/coop area is lovely!

 

[gracenut123]

Mine are extra noisy when I’m outside. They’re either expecting a treat, or they want out of the run. Either way, as soon as I disappear, they quiet down.
Might I suggest giving them a treat to distract for a minute? Seems to work here... and also, your backyard/coop area is lovely!

Thank you so much we love how it all turned out!! That is a good point we have been in the yard a lot so perhaps they want our attention & some treats!

 

[aart]

'Rewarding' their noise with treats.......will likely produce more noise.

 

[Chickens Tired Neighbor]

That is a hilarious description! We plan to give it some more time unless we get a complaint from the neighbors, maybe we are making it a bigger deal than they thing it is!

I would recommend asking your neighbors if it is a problem. I have spent 3 yrs waiting for my neighbor's chickens to stop making constant noise and to settle down but that hasn't happened. Now I feel like I have to complain and feel terrible about it. It would be great as the the chickens owners if they could check in as it wouldn't feel confrontational. If they are bothered, you can tell them you're aware that the noise picked up and you're working on it. I hope they are all receptive to your efforts and you continue to be a great neighbor.

 

[Chickens Tired Neighbor]

Hi all,

We have been raising 4 hens since they were chicks, they are just over 6 months old now. They have recently started to lay and with that they have become quite noisy throughout the day, & it is not just the “egg-song” (please see attached video). Ever since the chicks were old enough we let them roam the yard and basically be free range up until now. We’ve decided we want to confine them to a run in the back of the yard with plenty of room for them.It’s been three days and since we have started doing this one hen in particular has been crying/begging to be let out of their coop around 6:30-7 am and then throughout the day begging to be let out of the run. She does this almost every hour of the day and is the loudest/most frequent in the morning even after she has laid. It is mostly one hen that is consistently making this noise, we have labeled her the "problem child" but the others often follow suit once she gets started.

In your experience do you think they will ever quiet down once they acclimate to the new run or is it too engrained in their heads that they always get to free range? We understand that they will make sounds during laying time but we never expected hens to be so incredibly noisy throughout the day. One solution that we were thinking was to rehome the noisiest hen and hope that the rest remain quiet. Although with that we run the risk of another hen taking over that job.

We live close to some neighbors and are worried that the noise is going to upset them as well as drive us nuts in the process. We are very attached to them and do not want to have to give them up, but if this continues we will have to rehome them.

Please see attached video to see the sound that we are talking about… this isn’t even the loudest example.

Any advice is welcome!

Noisy Hen video

Your yard and set up truly are beautiful!

 

[Lricards]

I'm having the exact same problem as the original post! Does anyone have designs for a chicken shock collar to keep them from sounding off!? LOL