Quietest Breeds

[matopis]

I'm interested to know what people think are the quietest hen breeds. My neighbors haven't complained about my chickens yet, but they have woken me up in the middle of the summer with their egg laying clucking. I have two golden laced and one white laced Wyendottes, but they are getting old and we are thinking of getting new chicks this year. During the rest of the day they are pretty quiet, but if there was a nearly silent breed I would be interested to hear about it to make sure my neighbors aren't bothered by the hens. Thanks!

 

[Happy Chooks]

It's not always a breed specific thing - I've had quiet Orpingtons and a loud Orpington that honked like a goose. Many times it's just an individual thing. Of all the breeds I have, I'd have to say my barnevelders are the most quiet. They still sing the egg song like all the others, but tend to be less "chatty" around the yard.

Assuming you are legal to have hens, maybe you could "bribe" your neighbors with some eggs now and then.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

I don't think there are necessarily quiet breeds. Even if half the flock are quieter and and you have a loud one and get rid of her, others may fill in the missing voice. Chickens are much noisier than I expected, I can tell you that. Of my particular flock my BO and JG are the quietest. However, I'm sure the answers are going to be varied.

 

[kara_leigh]

I agree, it depends. I a bunch of different breeds, and more than one of each, and some are quiet and some are not. I have 6 sex links, and 3 of them are obnoxious in how loud they are, and the other three are quiet, one of which never makes noise. Most of my Ameraucanas are quiet, but they will talk to me occasionally.

 

[Lbrad7]

I have never had a noisy Easter Egger, Speckeled Sussex or Black Australorp. My RIRs are pretty quite but every now and then I get one that squawks a lot but they are pretty rare. White egg laying breeds seem to be a lot more noisy and flighty to me. I think I would avoid all of them in a city setting.

 

[Tikkijane]

I think it depends on the individual. I DO have loud EEs, and I have a few EEs that are sneaky layers- they dash in and out without a peep out of them, like they are doing something wrong.

By far my LOUDEST are two of my BRs, although it could be all 3 of them and I'm just thinking I'm hearing the same 2.

I will say, though, that all of my BRs are the most pushy with food and will peck the others on the head, hard. Multiple feeders have helped, but they will still do that, particularly if they get treats.

 

[poonam]

I'd say my BO is fairly quiet, with an occasional egg song and some odd growling noises. Our Easter Egger is very noisy, and our sebright, who is the littlest of the lot is the MOST noisy. she even crows on a daily basis, and she has a happy, good, free ranging life. I think, like humans, some of them are just neurotic, and it is an individual thing, not a breed thing.

 

[Jeanniejayne53]

I Have to agree about the Barred Rocks. I had two given to me, and although they were good layers of medium to large eggs, they were the most aggressive toward the others, esp., when introducing new birds. In the end, well, they ended up in my freezer. I'd rather feed a nice bird than a nasty one.

 

[GardenerGal]

I agree with the idea that it isn't the breed but the individual chicken. Maybe there are certain breeds that tend to be easy going in general, such as cochins, but there are always lots of exceptions within the breed.

Once I had four Japanese bantam roosters that didn't crow for the first two years I had them (I got them as cockerels) and I thought "Wow, they are a quiet breed" but then they all started crowing and I still have two of them and one is plenty talkative but at least his crow isn't loud.

 

[loves2canoe]

I have 3 girls and although my neighbors are very kind and actually say that they like the egg songs, my White Polish makes no sounds at all. She sometimes coos when she sees the meal worms, but she is so quiet. I have been told this by other's in the area
who have white polishThis is Buttercup