Super loud hen!

[ShrekDawg]

I think if you can let them out in your yard to range or give them lots of things to do then they shouldn't be too loud! You can make a chicken swing, dust bathing spots, give greens and.lawn clippings, etc. Some people even give mirrors or safe cat toys/balls or bells. Well, actually i havent heard of many do it but know i saw at least one and may try it. You can also compost in the run. Don't know if that would make it smell more or less but done right shouldn't smell. It's basically deep litter. Put down 3 inches of wood chips (not shavings, varied particle size breaks down faster) then 3 inches of leaves, grass and garden clippings , etc. And with the poo it composts and you can garden with it but also there will be bugs and an environment for them to eat. Add more dry stuff when it starts to smell. If you have a totally covered run you can also just do pea gravel and top soil. Same effect of giving them something to do and keeping occupied. If they are occupied they shouldn't be too loud. You could also just provide enough space and things to do and never let the range so they don't turn into brats and complain lol hoping to try all these things with mine and see if it helps. Plus I find most aren't too loud, you just sometimes get a loud one

 

[Andreavetgirl]

I will try making a swing and giving them things to do. I can't let them free roam as that was one of the requirements of them letting me have the chickens. What kind of plants can I plant along the fence to block some of the sounds they will make? I know people have told me there are plants that act as a barrier. I have one neighbor that I know will complain if they bother her. She complains about anything including kids playing outside and about what most people do on the block. I'm hoping if this goes right more people will be able to have hens in the village

 

[ShrekDawg]

I will try making a swing and giving them things to do. I can't let them free roam as that was one of the requirements of them letting me have the chickens. What kind of plants can I plant along the fence to block some of the sounds they will make? I know people have told me there are plants that act as a barrier. I have one neighbor that I know will complain if they bother her. She complains about anything including kids playing outside and about what most people do on the block. I'm hoping if this goes right more people will be able to have hens in the village

That's unfortunate you can't let them roam :/ but yeaj, I would definitely try different things for them to do! They sell swings too but I personally think they're ridiculously overpriced and cheapy (plastic). You can just find a nice thick branch or perhaps even just a 2x4 or something and put in eye sockets and hang by chain or I've also seen just drilling the hole all the through and putting rope or chain through the hole, no eye sockets, that might be sturdier. Although sorry, I don't really know anything about gardening :/ perhaps someone else does though and can answer!! Also perhaps in addition to those plants you could plant some herbs or edible plants near the fence or even in it (with a screen or something to protect the bottom inches) for the chickens to eat and stay occupied? Maybe someone will know about the sound blocking plants though. And wow that stinks about that neighbor! She sounds ridiculous!! Hope you don't have issues

 

[ShrekDawg]

And hopefully someone will be able to help you with the gardening bit and the sound reducing plants cause im no help

 

[birdladiusa]

I have three dingbats. Or maybe I should call myself that. Being a new chicken owner, they took me for a ride. They scream I ran. Now we are on a schedule. They scream I don't respond. I feed wet food in am at 8 and 5. For now I feed and leave. I do scoop eggs up but no looking at them. I am two days in on this schedule and peaceful is working. It's working. When they are quiet I talk to them and praise them. Quirky lil fellows they are. But I need this to stop. It's bad. Loud doesn't describe it. I also am making them work for stuff. Outside perch went up and now I put seed on perch. Lol. Keeps them bizzi. Making a hanging scratch bottle tommorrow. For now the noise level went from 100 to 40. It's working.

 

[Leigti]

Oh, I know that noise all too well (if it's the one I'm thinking of).  For mine, it was their THE-SUN-WAS-UP-TWO-SECONDS-AGO-WHY-ARE-WE-STILL-TRAPPED-IN-HERE?!" call.  Please keep us posted!

OMG! That is so true. I have a total of 12 chickens, and I have two that are very loud. I don't know why they are squawking, they just do. Those two will also sit at my back door and pack at it and screech for me to come out and feed them. I think they have contest to see who can be more of noxious. I have no idea what to do about it.

 

[tcstoehr]

Never, ever, ever reward them for their noise making. If they think they can get something out of you by screaming then they will scream. I've completely stopped giving them a morning treat, cuz they begin to expect it. They go to the fence, look at the house, and they know I'm in there. They get impatient and start making noise trying to get my attention so I'll come out and give them their sunflower seeds. I'm often trying to sleep at that time so I don't want to hear any of that. Also, in the mornings they might be laying when I come out and they'll jump off the nest if they think a treat is coming. So no treats until a random time in the late afternoons... or none at all.

 

[birdladiusa]

Good advice. Today my tactics didn't work and I'm literally shaking from the noise. So I'll try just the night time food treat. I'm to the point it's time for them to go. When I'm at the store worrying if my neighbors are going to kill me, then it's time to call it quits, the eggs arnt worth it. I raised hyacinth and green wing macaws in my youth and I never ever had a bird that was as obnoxious as these chickens.

 

[birdladiusa]

Well. Nothing has worked. We even put up a fence to let them free range. It is so bad today it would wake the dead. We even went on vacation and the neighbors ar ******. So it's over for me. I'm listing them today.tubing is worth this ******** craziness. Love them but they got to go.

 

[BruceAZ]

Hi all!

Has anyone had a super noisy hen? I don't mean with their egg songs, I have one that just makes the most atrocious noises all stinking day long. She wakes me up when all the windows are closed, and the coop is more than 200 ft from the bedroom window. Double paned windows even! She's that loud!

I think she's just bored, she does it and paces the length of the run closest to the house. I've tried squirting her when she does it, she pipes down for a little bit then starts again. I've tried ignoring her, she still does it every half hr about. It drives me crazy. Does anyone have any good recommendations on things I can put in there to keep her entertained, by chance? Otherwise, she might end up as soup.

i have the same problem
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1126991/noisy-hens-might-disturb-neighbors

allowing them to free ranging all day helped somewhat .. but they are still noisy..

they are noise when they are about to lay..

it's worst when they are fighting over the same nesting box that a broody hen decided to just stay in for HOURS!!

my leghorn went broody for 1-2 wk now..she's more aggressive than the other 4 hens since she will make a shrieking sound when she saw other hens coming in the coop-- and the sound will get louder if she saw me

2 nesting boxes for 5 hens should be plenty.. but the leghorn wants no other hens inside the coop when she is in the nesting box!

no more leghorn with my next flock

the other hens are a lot quite as long they have a nesting box to lay their egg each day..