Single hen

[FORENSICA]

Hi there,

this morning girls woke us up just after 7am It is not so bad, I know, but hubby got into a very angry rage and decided to drench them with a hose pipe every time they made noise. We do not mind that they wake us up, but as we are surrounded by houses, some of our neighbours are bound to be woken up too.

 

So hubby decided that they are causing him too much stress and so they will have to go if this continues. It is strange that they have days when they are completely quiet and other days when they just can not keep their beeks shut.

 

I tried to keep the eglo door open and also closed, neither makes much difference. I am sad and hope that it will be dark mornings soon so they will keep quiet longer.

[MadMitch]

Noooooo. Get rid of the hubby instead.

Tell him 7:00 is not that early anyway, and as its now getting darker he should be trying to make the most of the daylight hours.

My chooks are like that too. Sometimes they don't make a noise at all and sometimes it goes on for hours. Strangely though I was talking to my neighbour yesterday and he said he has never heard them and he is at home all day. It's suprising how loud they are when you are near them but as I move further up the garden they don't sound as bad.

 

Sorry I really don't have any real advice though, hope you don't get rid of them.

[Lydia]

Have your tried covering up the eglu with dark material? I found this helped us in the past. We used a cheap piece of tarpaulin draped over the eglu and part way down the run which made it very dark for the chooks and shut them up for longer. Might be worth a try.

 

I also keep the door shut as it does muffle the noise a bit.

 

Mine sometimes have mornings when they simply have to shriek but as the mornings get darker that will get less - until about March that is

 

As regards the neighbours I used to worry and worry about mine being disturbed but actually I think sometimes we think our chicken noise is much worse and travels much further than it actually does.

 

I have no advice as to what to do about the grumpy husband. Maybe shut him in the eglu instead?

[choppish]

mine are the same and i'm ghoing through the same stress! they are definetately getting noiser though as the days get shorter. we are sourrounded by terrace housing. I have been round to the neighhbours and its true you cn hardly hear their cooing. just a little and they have said they donlt mind. but now they have started bokking more and more the stree has returned!

 

they have started announcing egg laying whic hthey have never done in 5 months.

 

they shout to be let out of the run to free range. (this starts as soon as they wake up)

 

the white one ( you can see i'm falling out of love with them as they nlo longer have names!) used to be as quiet as a mouse but now will shout to be let out too. Not only the cooing sort of noise but a loud, what can only be described as a dog bark! most strange and very loud!

 

 

also my other half is convonced she is allergic to them. so its not looking good for the girls at the mo...

 

[WitchHazel]

Our girls are noisy in the morning. Not when they first get up - we leave the Cube door open, they get themselves up and potter about their Run - ot usually it starts at about 7.30 when they start complaining to be let out to free range.

 

It is loud,we think, but we are in a direct line to them and we have our window open.

 

Previously when they made a racket during the day or in the evening, I actually went round to my neighbours (who were out) to see if I could hear them, and it wasn't as loud as I thought.

 

Maybe you could do something similar to reassure yourselves, or otherwise.

 

 

And when I do think it;s loud, I remember that I live in the Heathrow flight path; we have those green parakeets in our apple trees twice a day (and they ARE loud), and we have a park where people play football and walk their dogs very close by. In the scheme of things, they aren't that bad really.

[keyhole kate]

Oh dear

 

Hopefully things settle try darkening the eglu

as suggested perhaps you are more sensitive to the noise

and your neighbours aren't bothered rather than fretting

ask them if there bothered by the noise chances are there not

and you are worring for nothing

[piptiddlepip]

Huh. Like to see my partner try and threaten to get rid of our chooks. Her bum would hit the front step before she'd finished!

 

Seriously though, a blanket over the Eglu seems to work for others. we pin a bit of thick card over our coop window (we have a wooden coop) and they kept pretty quiet until 8am on Sunday (partner is not keep on early starts, though I will happily get up at 7am to let them out - it was her turn!)

[Sandychick]

I'd leave the chickens to it and get your hubby some nice ear plugs for the mornings

[MedusA]

I have one very noisy hen (when she's laid an egg). I do worry at times, but the neighbours seem fine with it. Fortunately she never lays too early. I think 7am is fine. Most people are awake by then on a week day.

 

As others have said, nothing would part me from my girls now.

 

It wouldn't hurt to try the dark cover idea, to see if that does the trick. Good luck.

[superjules]

The eglu lets light in through the grey plastic at the front and also in the gap at the top of the litter tray, so if you cover these loosely (be careful not to block any ventilation) with a double thickness of breathable weed stop material weighted down with a brick at each corner, you should keep them quiet til a more reasonable hour.

 

Mine make a lot of noise and in the mornings the noise travels when it's still and quiet. We received a noise complaint a couple of months ago. OH threatened them with "rehoming" (to the freezer! ) so I have fitted a timed door to our henhouse (for when we're away overnight) and used 2 layers of weed stop material under the roof which keeps them nice and dark and has stopped the noise. The downsides are that I can never have a cube as you can't fit a door opener to it and it's also stopped 2 of my purebreeds from laying because they are not getting enough hours of daylight, but at least they are able to stay.

[Steve.]

Have the neighbours complained? If not - then there may be other issues not related to the chooks.

 

My neighbours like listening to the chickens - they say it's like living in the countryside.

[Janty]

Perhaps you should drench him with the hosepipe when he snores or makes a noise.

 

 

Cover the eglu. I have a brahma who thinks she's a goose and she honks in the morning. I got really stressed even though the neighbours were very kind. Now I cover the cube up and everything is fine.

 

Best of luck.

 

Jan

[Egluntyne]

I'd go for the earplug option for you beloved.

 

Maybe now that the clocks are about to change they won't be so noisy in the morning.

[FORENSICA]

Hi everybody, thanks for the kind words of encouragement!

 

"Ooops, word censored!"ody ever complained, and I do think that we might be more sensitive to the noise due to our responsibility for it. Also we have single glazing which is soon to be swapped for double, so hope that will do the trick too.

 

Thank you for the ideas. I have a massive sheet of tarpaulin and will try to cover the Eglu with it today.

 

I have one more idea. As we do not have any foxes around ( I know all of you will say that I should not risk it)- garden is enclosed by number of other people's fences and at the each end is a massive 2.5m tall wall (we have not seen a fox in a neighbourhood for 4 years) - maybe I should try to leave the eglu and run open for them over night and when they get up they can free range right away. I think that is what they want anyway. And before going to UNI/work I can close them for the whole day.

 

The one who wrote that chickens are quiet creatures was a big

[RubyReckless]

Urgh, it's awful when they are a problem for family or neighbours, isn't it. Much sympathy - I do hope you find a solution that works for you both. Elgutine is right - darker mornings will help!

[Janty]

I wouldn't leave the eglu door open. I forgot to close my doors last night and the girls woke me up at 5.30 this morning shouting for their breakfast.

[FORENSICA]

I wouldn't leave the eglu door open. I forgot to close my doors last night and the girls woke me up at 5.30 this morning shouting for their breakfast.

 

But that is exactly what they do It does not matter if i leave the door open or not, they will just start swaking at some point. I am thinking of actualy leaving their Eglu door and the run door opened so they can walk to the garden without me getting up. They have plenty of food avalible all the time Now they also have a nice veg patch to finish off so hopefully that will keep them occupied, noise monsters

[Guest]

Are they a lot nosier than your neighbors and their pets?

 

I live in a VERY rural location, there are 3 houses here. When I run my hen parties we always talk about noise - yesterday during the hen party the neighbors 2 yorkies were barking their heads off which set of the other neighbors 2 jack russells. As I pointed out to my tutees - MUCH louder than chickens. As for anti social hours, I also mentioned that the night before I'd returned home at 11.30pm and THAT had set the dogs off too!

 

In your surburban setting there must be so many more noises.

[FORENSICA]

Hmm, not really Appart from planes (City airport close) and occasional domestic dispute people here are rather quiet. Also "Ooops, word censored!"ody around has a dog.

[Hen Watch]

I am thinking of actualy leaving their Eglu door and the run door opened so they can walk to the garden without me getting up.

 

I wouldn't risk it personally. Even if you've not seen a fox for years, they may soon find you. I've seen a young fox cub in the last 2 weeks sitting on the grass by the side of the road bold as brass at lunchtime just watching the cars go by.

 

I wonder if you perservere with keeping the eglu door shut until a reasonable time each morning and "train" the girls to get used to it. Also the tarpaulin idea is a good one too. They may protest but you might find they get used to the routine. Worth a try anyway.

 

My girls don't tend to squark inside a shut eglu even when they lay an egg. Ocassionally if one lays a softie when the eglu is shut she may announce it, but usually they just eat it quietly.

[urbanchick]

Oh dear, I've been there. The solution that worked was picnic blankets (with the black plastic backing that makes it blackout) covering the cube and the run. That kept them quiet until at least 7.30 in the height of summer and I'm sure it would be later now - I'm testing it without tonight

You need to think about where the light hits the eglu first thing, i.e. the east facing side. I found the grey panel at the back was letting the most light in so I covered that down to the poo trays. They still made noise at 6.30 so I covered the length of the run over the top and down the east facing side. You can probably cover the whole of the eglu run easily.

 

I know we can argue that daily life makes just as much noise as the chickens, but that didn't wash with environmental health and they put pressure on me to keep them quiet until 7.30 after our neighbours complained. Amazing what the threat of an abatement notice can help you achieve

 

Good luck, I'm sure it'll be fine. There's not long to go before the mornings are dark and you have plenty of time then to work out a strategy for next summer.

 

Absolutely DO NOT leave the run door open. I'd give your chickens a week maximum before foxy finds them.

[Gallina]

Early morning is peak fox time: the hens will be at great risk out in the garden then unsupervised. (I wouldn't even leave the eglu door open at night myself, as I don't like the idea of the hens being harassed by a fox while the world sleeps.)

 

Getting up early is one option to stop the noise. It isn't so hard in winter: it wasn't light until 7am this morning. Leave your husband in bed, of course.

 

My hens are so thrilled at being let out of prison at first light that they are quiet and happy; the noise comes later.

 

Summer is a different matter and I usually only manage 6am. Strangely, the hens get used to the letting out time, and don't seem to mind.

 

And cockerels are a different matter again. Mine isn't crowing yet, but he will have to move out before spring. And I may even have a second cockerel, but I am still hoping.

[FORENSICA]

I know I know that it is bad to let them open over night I did tonight though and they started sqwaking at exactly the same time as yesterday, however it was only a short one. It seems that they got into the habit and have their inner clock set up for 7.

 

It is strange, since it was not always like that. Whole summer they were as good as gold, with only an ocasional wake up call. I have to break the habit somehow. Must admit that hubby was much happier this morning though.

 

I did not manage the tarpaulin yesterday, since it was windy and I could not do it myself. Will do that tonight and close them in and will update you tomorrow how things went

[cordelia]

I wonder if its worth giving them something to do first thing on a morning...to keep the noise down....an eating apple is a cheap (excuse the pun) option.l...it keeps my girls happy for a while (although admittedly I'd rather they ate their layers pellets...so will use in afternoon when they are confined to baracks in furture

 

(your husband sounds like mine....grumpy...although he's not always...sometimes he's an angel...I suspect this is a male trick to get us to keep them !!!! )

 

 

best of luck, kepping it dark for them, hope that does the trick...

[Steve.]

Borrow my sprogs. Then 7am will seem like a lie in!

 

DW caught them asleep at 6.30am in the week! Door opened. No body came out for a good while. I guess they were adjusting their knickers or something.