Too Noisy! Can they be quieted?

[Beckyinma]

I was a bit concerned about the noise my 6 would make, 2 are singing the song now, they mostly do it inside the coop though, so it's a little muffled by the walls. I can hear it from the house though, with the windows open. However, my neighbors don't get to complain, I have a permit to have them, and well, they are after all, farm animals. The girlfriend of the homeowner behind us grew up on a farm with chickens, so they're cool about it, and my neighbor on the coop side is from brazil and had chickens when she lived there, so no problems there either! We should be ok. It can't be any worse than the 3 labs and the bijon-frise in the neighborhood barking up a storm at any car that comes up the driveways, or the 18 wheelers using our road as a detour, or the porsche races a mile away that carry so well you can hear the wheels squealing, and the emcee announcing the winners.

IMO, there are far worse sounds than a few chickens singing during the day.. Especially since they are mostly quite during the sleeping hours, which is after all, most important!

 

[Sher]

I would love to hear the egg song. Mine are so noisy while I'm feeding and petting and chasing the Turken roo out of the nursery, that I couldn't hear it if I wanted too! I am so envius of those of those who have. if anyone can ever record it, that would be so wonderful.

I am, as usual, glad to be part of this group.

Sher
Roscoe, Tx. where everyone is fed, the cows have scarfed down their 20 pounds of feed, and I am going to have a cuppa before I go back out to clean the coop....with stool......ahhhhhhhhh......

 

[kipper]

They make noise because it works.

They get loud.

You quiet them down with treats.

Repeat.

 

[kmdsparrow]

Quote:
You can go on You Tube and find a video of a hen singing her song.

 

[Sher]

Thanks for the link! Once I heard it, I recognized it and the next morning, one of my Golden Buff Orps was in the nest box and was singing. I waited for a couple hours and went back and there was a nice light brown egg! I was so tickled. I now have 4 standard hens laying. Thanks!

sher

 

[CarolAnn]

I didn't realize chickens can jump straight up quite a ways until I stepped into the run one day and one of my best snugglers (a buff orp)
came and stood in front of me and, before I could squat like I usually do, jumped straight up onto my shoulder. I was soo surprised, and impressed. I was wearing my hooded jacket and I think she thinks it's a nest because she gets on my shoulder and settles right down on the hood on my shoulder. Thankfully once I started to move around so as not to encourage others from doing the same, she jumped down. I hurt my back recently and haven't been able to get out there to visit for the last week or so. Hubby is doing my chores, sort of, and I sure miss it. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be much better and able to resume my normal chicken lady activities. It's nice to know there are other nutty chicken owners out there.

 

[kmdsparrow]

Quote:
Congratulations! Those eggs are really a miracle. Aren't they?

 

[Sher]

yes, and it is somuch more fun, I can be feeding in the morning and hear the song and know one of my babies is laying another egg. Love it!
sher

 

[jimshock]

I know exactly what you're talking about I live in an normal residential area, and my neighbours are right next door and all that. It's annoying as heck and I'm not so much annoyed at the noise at myself, instead I'm worried the neighbours would complain, and it has been a few months and surprisingly no complaints yet.

This is the 3rd batch of chickens I've owned, and for the first time egg laying chickens, the first ones escaped and got ravaged by the neighbours dogs....the 2nd batch was too many, 12+ in a normal 4 bedroom house backyard...and because they were raised from chicks, couldn't tell the sex, so some of them became roosters and we all know how annoying they can be in the morning....the neighbours complained and had to get rid of them after receiving numerous letters from the city council.

This batch...only 3 hens, we got them straight from when they could lay eggs, so we didn't raise the girls from chicks...which actually annoyed me

but anyway, in the morning they make the loudest and annoying noises that just makes you want to choke them to death.....the only reason I haven't done that is because I'm too nice....and I don't want to be so cruel....but fear not I have discovered a way to quieten them down!!!

The best way is to let them do what they do and crow and annoy away in the mornings for a weeks time, and what you have to do is feed them around evening time or so when they usually want to go to sleep, and so in the mornings they will have food to eat, and just pay as little attention to them as possible, after a week, they stop completely. Another method has been mentioned already, which is in the mornings, when they start screeching away, just go out there and hold them when they start to cluck, do this for a week and they will stop clucking, especially when they're not used to the human touch, this scares the hell out of them, and gets them into the habit of thinking, if i keep screeching to get my owners attention i will only get touched, and i don't want none of that human hand holding me

.

Do all this and your chickens will be quiet in the mornings!

It's gotten to the point where if they start screeching in the morning, all I have to do is step outside and stare at them for 1 second and let them see me, and they stop screeching altogether

Oh, and yes they do still lay eggs as usual.

 

[CarolAnn]

jimshock, It doesn't sound like you get much, if any, enjoyment out of having chickens. Why do you bother having them if they are so annoying that you have to practically hold yourself back from choking them to death for making their normal chicken sounds? I'd rather eat store bought eggs again than put my time and money into raising and keeping chickens that I didn't enjoy having.