Miss Marple Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 My three ex-batts wake up really early, like 5am onwards. When the eglu door is shut they sing loudly enough to wake us and quarrel, when we leave it open they bok and when we try the free range option they have stood on their tip toes and bok boked. I am concerned about our neighbours and do plan to ask how much the girls are disturbing them. At other times of the day they just cluck about chatting to themselves, but the mornings are becoming a concern. I would like some feedback to whether they are are just settling in as we have had them only two weeks or is this normal behaviour. A friend of ours says hers are content to stay in until she lets them out, but hers are about 5 years old. In time will our girls be quieter? Otherwise, what do you suggest we do for a quieter wake up for ourselves and our neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 yes I have noisy chooks. the solution that works for me is to shut the cube door and cover the cube in a dark material (not covering ventilation holes), we actually use a vinyl lined black picnic blanket. It keeps the cube darker for longer = quiet hens. my girls dont make any noise until they are let out and are sometimes still asleep when I check my cube cctv camera just before 7am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I voted no on the grounds that im unaware of any noise they may create.But i can also sleep right through a thunder storm with windows open due to being a heavy sleeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I cant vote, as it depends on a few things. They are quiet until they here the dogs being let out for a early wee or they here my thundering footsteps to let them out the eglu, then they badger away at me to hurry up and let them out. If I creep tipeetoe up to let them out first thing always before 7am, they seem happy/quiet enough, until the dog decides to wooo wooo wooo bark at the wrong minute and they tell her off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 The brighter the weather, the noisier mine are in the morning. I've taped newspaper to the shed windows, but leave the shed door open, so sometimes they wake me at 5. Next door neighbors don't appear to hear them - though the neighbors across the road said they knew someone had chickens-just didn't realise it was me! - I haven't had any complaints - but some mornings they do drive me mad! They also make a racket when I get home from work - so they are only doing it to be let out! They are really quiet when they are roaming the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Thanks for the replies so far, I will try the wrapping of the house at night. i plan to visit all the neighbours tomorrow, I am hoping that they are ok and don't think of themselves as being disturbed too much. As the chickens are better if it is dark, then does that mean that when the mornings are darker then they should sleep that bit longer? I hope so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 As the chickens are better if it is dark, then does that mean that when the mornings are darker then they should sleep that bit longer? I hope so. Oh yes they do. In the depths of last Winter mine were putting themselves to bed as early as 4pm, and my kids only just got to see them briefly after school. They got up late too. Mine were noisier last year. They were worst when I had the eglu door open all the time and found they all trooped out at 4am last Summer, got spooked by something, and all set off an alarm call of bok boking. Now they are confined to barracks every night and I open the eglu door at 7am. But I find they are used to this routine now and don't make any noise from inside the eglu until they hear me open the back door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Yes, but it's only really been noticable in the last three weeks. I think it started with the addition of two new chooks, I have been lucky and they haven't bullied the two new ones too much - just vocally objected! I have tried shutting them in and it's worse. It's really only one chook who starts it - and i'm at a loss what to do. Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McChook Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Mine are so gobby in the morning! Whoever is up first lets them into the run, but that's just not enough for them - they want OUT!! My legbar squawks and squawks until she gets out into the garden - I'm afraid I've made a rod for my own back as I let them out to keep them quiet so now they all expect it. Oh well, roll on winter - I may have a lie in on a Sunday then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I voted no as I never hear them....and my neighbours assure me that they don't either. Just very occasionally they may Bok Bok if a fox trespasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Yes, my ex-batts are early risers and like to let me know they are ready for breakfast. I did leave the door open for a few nights, thinking they would be happier if they could get themselves up when they liked, but when they woke me one morning at 4.43am pawk-pawking really loudly in the yard and refusing to be quiet, that was the end of that. The door is now shut when they are all in bed and not opened till 6am. I can still hear them whingeing if they wake up early, but the neighbours hear nothing (I've asked them). On days when it's going to be sunny in the morning (remember them?) I've covered the top of the Cube with the shade and the top of the run with a tarp to try to trick them into believing it's still dark, but the instant they hear footsteps at 6am, they demand to be let out and fed. Spoiled, indulged little monsters making up for lost time they are ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickflick Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 yes mine are noisy in the mornings but not every morning.Varies from 6 am onwards.I am finding it quite stressful. i have to sleep with earplugs in at night because even if they are quiet i think i hear them!! Covering up with tarpauline is a good idea too. It is the worst thing about them i wish i had known they would be like this.I do feel the information given on this site is not entirely representative of most chickens. I think most chickens are noisy but mostly only in the mornings-obviously less noisy than a cockerel but still noisy enough to wake me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I actually kind of think we chook owners become paranoid about them making to much noise. We live in the sticks, one of the middle houses of two cul-de-sac's. So I've asked three of the four nearest four houses if they have been disturbed at 4.30am in the morning and they haven't. So it's just me that gets woken and nearly breaks my neck stumbling down the stairs to shut them up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph101 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Yes, mine are really noisy sometimes in the mornings. Thought we'd got a cockerel this morning! Started to get really paranoid about it, so I've been giving eggs to the closest neighbours. Luckily, they said they couldn't hear anything! I let them wander out of the eglu on their own; I leave the eglu (not run!) door open. I don't want to lock them back up until the colder weather though, as I read they need thirteen plus hours daylight per day to lay regularly! This must explain why we get less eggs in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickvic Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Wow! I must be really lucky! My girls are really quiet, admittedly they are under my daughters bedroom window and not mine, but she would soon tell me if they were making a noise. We also leave the eglu door open and when I go downstairs at 6am and open the back door to say good morning they just bok really quietly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yolky Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Chickvic I wonder if the noisy ones are the ones in bigger flocks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egg Lou Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Been lucky so far as don;t get any noise till they hear me opening door.. they do then make a bit of noise once out in run but not loud at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 So it's just me that gets woken and nearly breaks my neck stumbling down the stairs to shut them up im doing that during that day too!! yesterday I nearly broke my neck tripping over the hosepipe whilst running to shut my maran up who was going bonkers at a bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph101 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Chickvic I wonder if the noisy ones are the ones in bigger flocks? Well, I have to admit, when we had three we had no noise at all. Now we've got five, you'd think we'd got fifty! To think I wanted around ten! I'd like nothing more than even more chooks, but... i think we'd get evicted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Sadly, they have never been noisy. I don't have any neighbours so it wouldn't make any difference to me if they made a hugh noise. Mabel did make a lovely noise when she laid her first egg but not since. They make little bok bok noises and talk to you when they are roosting. Very well behaved chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 I thought you would like an update on my noisy girls. Well, thanks to all your suggestions the girls are waking up at around 6.30am now I solved the problem of their early waking by getting a navy blue shower curtain from IKEA, we put on their run at night and shut the house door and they think that the night is longer than it really is. I am so relieved, i was getting so stressed about it. I have also been around to the neighbours with a box of eggs each and they have said that the girls haven't bothered them at all...phew They say that they actually like to hear them bokking as they roam the garden during the day. So thanks again everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 great news! another happy chook owner happy owner = happy chooks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choppish Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 mine have just started doing this too. have had them about 3 weeks. I don';t shut the eglu door. and they have been fine until the last few days where one of them stands up on tiptoes and boks boks very loudly at 0500 this morning! ! i lept out of bed and tried to shut them up. i think they were quite shocked at me at 5 in my dressig gown. but started up again at 6.30. today i put the winter shade on as well to keep the run darker so we'l lsee how that goes. but i'm on nights tonight so won;t know! i get very nervous about the neighbours as their bedrooms all overlook our gdn. what is it with the standing on tiptoes? it is only one that does it as well. does this ever go away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucknette Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Hi My chickens make absolutely no noise in the morning. I had been letting them out at 7.00am but it has now crept to 7.30am and still no noise. They make little trilling bok type noises when they hear the back door open. I have covered the run with dark plastic (vent holes free) and keep the door closed. I think keeping dark is the answer. They are so easy to fool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyber Chook Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 I have a related question:- I would like to know exactly how the cheeky madams calculate the exact moment that my foot hits the bottom stair (we live right at the top of a 3-storey house), as this is ALWAYS the moment they immediately stop their bok bok bokking. Also, why is it ALWAYS a Friday or Saturday morning when they decided to announce whatever it is (fox? cat? egg?) at 5am? Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
