Bribe your neighbors with some eggs - or some terrific organic "fertilizer" for their lawns and gardens, if they don't like eggs. Otherwise, free-ranging helps keep noisy hens quiet. I find my hens are very quiet egg-songsters when free-ranging. Some of them don't even sing the egg song at all when they are ranging the backyard. They just visit the nest, lay the egg, eat some feed, and emerge from coop -- all very quiet and stealth, they seem intent on getting back to their foraging as soon as possible. Confined to their run, though, and they make a huge long racket with the egg-song, plus other sqwacking and obnoxious noises. Your immediate neighbors will probably be the only ones hearing anything - and they may be okay with it, as long as you let them know. I've also found that getting their children involved with the hens makes for some extra good diplomacy. Kids usually enjoy picking up the freshly laid eggs in the nest, holding a gentle hen, and feeding them some treats. Good luck!
