Unhappy hen = always noisy?

[Snack Giver]

My poor little welsumer hen seems unhappy. She is constantly making noises and generally seems restless. She just started laying again after a winter of molting and 2-3 months of no laying. Before that she only laid false eggs or shell-less premature ones. Now she lays a big dark brown egg nearly every day. But she makes a constant grating noise all day long and also seems to seperate herself from the group. We've had her for 8 months and she was leader of the group. But then we got a little leghorn who is mean to her and chases her around, pecking her at her cheeks. I feel like she is either uncomfortable about this new egglaying thing or she is being harrassed too often by the Leghorn. She never shuts up. She is always looking at me too while she makes noises. Here is an example of how she sounds ALL DAY LONG.

 

[centrarchid]

Normally my hens are relatively quite. Exception when not stressed is when no rooster is present. Such roosterless hens seems to make a lot more racket. In my case I think the added racket is intended to attract interest of a rooster.

 

[SIMZ]

We have a Golden Comet that acted like that and still is very loud. For the longest time I thought something was wrong with her. She lays an egg everyday and is almost a year old, so she must be ok. She did quiet down somewhat but still makes that noise while following me around whenever I'm outside.

We also have a Welsummer from a younger group of chickens that acted the same way. She would constantly squawk and stand on a roost in the coop. She eventually got over it and went back with the group (I'd say she did that for a month). Every now and then I'll find her by herself on the roost, but she doesn't make that noise anymore.

By the way, both of our chickens made noises even more intense than yours on the video. It was the same sound, but louder and higher. I have no idea why they do that, but they seem ok.

 

[Snack Giver]

OK Thanks. Ya her all day sound is WAY louder than on that video but it sounds like the same noise. She did just started doing this noise about the same time she started laying (2 weeks ago). I originally worried that she didnt know where to lay so I was carrying her into the coop to show her the nests just to shut her up. But she does know now where the nests are. I think that maybe this noise does have something to do with looking for a Roo. Because she's always following me around with that noise, even trying to come into the house while the others are elsewhere in a group..

 

[suebee]

My silkie hen's are really noisy before going broody.

 

[chickmchickie]

Your video is nothing ..... to what mine do, i have 3 who scream all day long so loud.. i have done everything i can and they wont tone down. I have no clue what it is.. there is nothign in their yard.. they have food.. water.. the others.. its driving me nuts and none of my other chicken all my life every did this.. I swear they are louder then a rooster.. ..

 

[Danielle27]

My two 16 week old sex links have been complaining non stop for the past week or so. All I hear is a low pitched, but louder "boooook booook booook" all day. My 13 week old pullets are still nice and quiet. I keep thinking the 16 week old's must be miserable.

 

[centrarchid]

Your video is nothing ..... to what mine do, i have 3 who scream all day long so loud.. i have done everything i can and they wont tone down. I have no clue what it is.. there is nothign in their yard.. they have food.. water.. the others.. its driving me nuts and none of my other chicken all my life every did this.. I swear they are louder then a rooster.. ..

You have not tried everything. Give them a fully adult rooster and see if they quite down. Or swap them out for a quiter group.

 

[devora]

She may be a chatty girl but it doesn't indicate she needs a rooster.

Sounds like she's figuring out her laying. My Wellies are wonderfully wacky in this regard. They get better (well, usually) as they get more adept.

 

[centrarchid]

She may be a chatty girl but it doesn't indicate she needs a rooster.

Sounds like she's figuring out her laying. My Wellies are wonderfully wacky in this regard. They get better (well, usually) as they get more adept.

My free-range hens in the company of a rooster are extremely quite. Confine same hens and they will get much more vocal. They do not get vocal as learning to lay.