Quieter type hens? (longish type post )

[Amethyste]

I lost several of my birds over the last year

we are down to 4 standards from the 8 we started with.

2 were strokes or heart attack <we think> and 1 was unknown...I think she may have just have been ready to go since her sister died. The latest was my lovely head hen, our barred rock Boo who died from a brazen daylight coon attack

They do come out in daytime early evening occasionally it seems... still dont know how he got her...but...well he did

We think she may have been napping near the fence line and he snagged her...there is hardware wire there now

We never ever thoguht that would be a problem....never has been for whole time we have had the Ladies till now

guess our luck ran out.

So now I needed to get some new girls in the spring, probably about 8 of them in total, perhaps 10. We will be enlarging the outside run and making a new coop for them all. I think they should be much happier in the new place!

However.... I am looking for quieter birdies this time lol My goodness Boo was just so loud at times!!! We have 1 Buff Orp, 2 EE, and a GLW left from the original and they seem to be pretty quiet for most part. They are 3 years old now almost 4.

What breeds have you had that were mostly quieter birdies? I dont mind the egg-song at the least...but just the all day bawking got a bit much. I swear that little BR must have had a megaphone hidden under her wings lol

We are in the Everett area of Washington, so we get the fun weird weather here. Tends to get snow now and again...at times we can get hit. We get a LOT of rain in the rainy season tho...but i think its cos we are in the "special" zone where we get hit but no one else does lol

So any hints or good breeds that do would do well here, lay well year round, and still be a bit on the quieter side lol Other than the "I-got-an -EGG!!!" song

That can't be helped I know lol

I am thinking atm of :

Black Austalorps
Brahma <---not sure how the feet do in our weather here
Delaware
EE <cos I love the coloured eggs

>
NH Red
Black Star/Red Star

Any thoughts or suggestions ?

Thanks!!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Light brahmas are calm, quite, and friendly, so are Favorelles.

 

[Flyingbavarian]

If you really like the colored eggs then go for the EE's. You really would'nt go wrong with any on your list though imo.

 

[CountryMom]

I have been very impressed with our one and only Welsummer hen. She is very gentle, very quiet and has started laying daily darkish brown eggs. They are not as big as the Orps eggs, but she is young. I am not sure if she will lay through winter though. This will be our first winter with chickens so I have yet to know. With our warmer climate it could be possible though.

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

I think that Brahmas would be your best bet of the ones you like. My rooster hardly ever crows (that may be in part due to the other roos picking on him) and I have a 2 mo. old pullet who is calm. So I say Brahmas and maybe a few Australorps.

 

[teddiliza]

Out of the four breeds I have (my first chickens), the noisiest are my Welsummers. I swear they honk like geese every time they see me. But I love them just the same. My others from noisiest to quietest go Barred Rock (unless you count the egg song) , New Hampshire, and Buff Orphington. The Buff hardly ever makes noise!
The New Hampshire and the Buff are lowest on the pecking order, though, I don't know if that makes a difference.