Several questions...

[DeepDishChix]

Hi everyone!
I have some questions about my chickens, and I was hoping you guys would be able to help me.

1. So this morning I was having this dream my chicken was singing the egg song. And then I woke up and I heard one of the chickens was actually singing. I got really excited and so I ran outside. We have 2 separate coops, but it was coming from the already laying hens, who wanted to be let out. They were making soooooooo much noise! If I could hear then I bet the neighbors can too, and they will come chop our heads off (me and the chickens). When is my Gold Star going to start laying (she's the one who I thought was doing the egg song)? She's been squatting for like 2 weeks, and she is almost 6 months old!

2. HOW CAN I KEEP MY CHICKENS QUIET?!!!
omg they are so loud the neighbors are going to hear and I will be dead meat. Is there anyway to train them to shutup?

3. My 2yrs Amerecauna layed a white egg! I thought it just looked white but I put it next to a piece of paper. They were the same color!

Can the egg color go back to normal once she lays another egg? The day before she layed a sky blue egg.

4. How many chickens can fit in a 10 x 3 coop and run? I have 7 in there but just want to make sure. How many can fit in a 3 x 5 coop and run?

Alright guys that's everything you don't have to answer them all, you can just answer the ones you know.
Thanks!

 

[QueenMisha]

1. If she's squatting and her comb and wattle are nice and red, she should be laying soon. The average age of lay is 20-24 weeks but really, individual birds can lay as early as 16 weeks or as late as 28.

2. You can't! Chickens make noise when and where they want to.

3. Are you completely sure the egg is the Ameraucana's? Unless it's shellless, it's very unusual for a hen's egg to change color so drastically.

4. You'll have to specify your numbers. Is the whole area, indoors and out, 10x3? How big are the coop and run individually? Same for the 3x5.

 

[DeepDishChix]

On the 10 x 3 coop the run is about 6 x 3. On the smaller one the the coop is about 2 x 2 and sits on top of the run which is 3 x 5. I'm almost positive my chicken is an Amerecauna, she has a muff, a beard, slate legs, and she layed a light blue egg a couple days ago.

 

[aart]

On the 10 x 3 coop the run is about 6 x 3. On the smaller one the the coop is about 2 x 2 and sits on top of the run which is 3 x 5. I'm almost positive my chicken is an Amerecauna, she has a muff, a beard, slate legs, and she layed a light blue egg a couple days ago.

But are you sure the Ameraucana laid the white egg..and did it have a hard shell?

2x2 coop will fit 1 chicken.
So is the larger coop 4x3? Then will fit 3 chickens.
But that is minimum space.

More info(or pics) on your coops/runs would help.
Also putting your location in your profile helps folks give better answers/suggestions.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

These numbers on what a coop can fit are really subjective. For instance I'd not want more than four birds in a 10x3 space. That's my opinion not that more wouldn't fit though the greater density of birds the more apt your going to have problems like feather pecking and other behavior problems.

But to say a bird needs 3 square ft of space in a coop to roost is just nonsense. I've 14 birds that hatched this spring. I'm very late in building their layer/winter/adult coop. So they've been roosting in a 3x3 grow out coop since 4-5 weeks of age. 14- 23 week old large fowl are roosting (sleeping at night) in that same 3x3 coop now with no problems. Obviously it's not ideal or even suggested birds should be so tightly cooped but it does shed light on the fact that birds if only roosting don't need much coop space. Huge run space and letting birds out early a.m. every morning makes a big difference.

I finally got the material together for my 4x7 coop with externally attached nesting boxes (hence the 4x7 instead of 4x8 for the added sheathing needed for nests) and will have it together this next week. Four cockerels will be culled and I've no doubt that is more than enough room for the remaining 10 birds. Room to spare for more to integrate next year with cycling out a few older birds each year the plan is to maintain two cock birds and around a dozen layers each winter.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

Hi everyone! 
I have some questions about my chickens, and I was hoping you guys would be able to help me. 
!

2. HOW CAN I KEEP MY CHICKENS QUIET?!!!
omg they are so loud the neighbors are going to hear and I will be dead meat. Is there anyway to train them to shutup? 


Alright guys that's everything you don't have to answer them all, you can just answer the ones you know. 
Thanks!

qHOW CAN I KEEP MY CHICKENS QUIET?!!!
omg they are so loud the neighbors are going to hear and I will be dead meat. Is there anyway to train them to shutup? 
? 

You can't. Chickens are noisy. Are chickens permitted in your area? If so, I wouldn't worry too much what the neighbors think. Maybe offer them some free, fresh eggs. I must just be old and cranky but I really don't care if my neighbors can hear my chickens.

 

[Doctor L]

There is an old saying, "A happy chicken is a quiet chicken". Do you let the girls out to free-range at all? A 3 foot chicken run is WAY too small, for even just 2 chickens, roosters need even more room. If you are raising meat chickens for slaughter in 3 months, okay (but they will still be noisy); but otherwise, they need a lot more room then what you are providing for them. Fresh food, fresh water, fresh greens and grubs and plenty of room to roam will give you a happy henhouse, and a happy henhouse is a quiet henhouse...

 

[DeepDishChix]

i can't put them outside or the neighbors will see them. Btw their run is like 6 x 3.

 

[Yellow chicky]

I know wat u mean by noisey we are residential but we are allowed 5hens, I used to get paranoid of the hens noise but its like any animal they have to make a noise lol, but yea, ours free range the fully fenced in, in our backyard, but our neighbours are soo nosey they peep over our fence n complain to council for any little thing they can, but the noise, I normally yell out shhhhoooosshhh chickys and they stop, or I close our back door so they cant see me that's a good way, they are new hens so pretty good so far. GOODLUCK TO YOU BUT,

 

[DeepDishChix]

Here is a picture of the smaller coop: