puddleduck Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) I have read on a few forum topics that some people have noisey girls, I desparately want to get an eglu and 2 girls but I am really concerned that they will make too much noise and the neighbours will complain! My garden is not very big so they would be kept reasonably close to the house, and the 2 neighbouring properties are virtually attached to mine, do I need to rethink keeping chickens? I didn't even know that chickens made that much noise All help and advise is much apprieciated... xxx Edited January 15, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My girls live under my neighbours window and no noise at all....... we've done a summer and this is our first winter, and so far not too many problems.... If you know your neighbours you could always sound them out to see how chook friendly they are!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joybelle Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 A couple of mine make a noise when something scares them or there is a queue for the nest. I`ve got seven and thats the only time they make any loud noise. I go and give them a spray with some water!!!!! soon shuts them up joy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surferdog Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 It depends on the chicken. My Bluebelle just does some soothing clucking, Coco is very quiet until she sees someone and then runs up and down the edge of the run making a kind of 'Now then, Now then' noise in a Manchester accent (don't ask - kids love Allen Carr). Sylvie is as mad as a hatter and makes a loud 'bok, bok BAAAH' everytime she lays an egg, someone else lays an egg, someone looks like they might lay an egg, birds in the garden, birds thinking of coming in the garden, you name it off she goes. Fortunately my neighbours either say they can't hear them or they like hearing them. When it's been particularly bad (like 'Parasol Sunday' when all three were screeching before 9am Sunday morning because they'd never seen a sunshade before) we take round a few eggs as an apology. However we are lucky because the neighbours like chickens and love the eggs! I would sound out the neighbours first and avoid getting a magpie/silver suffolk - beautiful but bonkers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi ya, Welcome to the forum! Our girls don't make much noise at all, only gentle clucks. The only time they have made a loud noise was only if startled by something and that's only happened a couple of times since we've had them! They make no more noise than a dog barking just gentle clucks, in fact my neighbours dog yaps all day long in the summer! I personally think it's best to get 3 chooks instead of two, most people on here I think will agree, especially if you get one hen that doesn't lay as much, at least you may still get a good quota of eggs. We have a small garden and live on a built up housing estate and they are fine. My friend and neighbour who lives around the corner from me has just had her eglu delivered today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmommasally Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I have a fairly small garden and live surrounded by houses on all sides. I asked my neighbours before getting the girls and they were all okay about it. My girls are a little noisy when laying or if they get spooked by something, one of the neighbours insist they haven't heard anything, the other ones who spend a lot of time in the garden said they can hear them but they like the sound. I think if you have reasonable neighbours they won't object. I have been absolutely paranoid about getting every s"Ooops, word censored!" of food in every night as I don't want to attract rats and have the chooks getting the blame. And I have also bribed the neighbours with the occassional gift of eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygerna Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I dont think that chickens make much noise really, my gran used to keep between 20-30 of them and I dont recall much noise. Where we are we are lucky (if thats the correct word ) because a large busy dual carriage way is just a row of houses away from us; There is no way the chickens can make more noise than that. Or more noise than my three children either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 mine dont make that much noise either they used to make a din to let everyone know they had laid, but i think that has worn off now they occasionally make a noise when a nasty cat comes into the garden ( they chase our cat ) i would mention you are considering getting chickens and see what reaction your neighbours make i bet they wouldnt ask you if they were considering getting a dog would they sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 It seems from people on here that it's the luck of the drawer and you can't predict which hens will be noisy, it's down to character rather than breed! My girls are usually very quiet but do sometimes make very loud egg announcements. In the summer when I was leaving the eglu door open all night, we did once get woken by Daisy at 5am but that was a one-off, luckily. As to the number of hens - 3 is better as a minimum. I was told that because one hen is usually the boss, it is better if there are two underlings to share the punishments. Plus, if one dies you are not left with a lone girl. Good luck with your decision, we've loved having hens - they are really brilliant pets Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanchick Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I had a big problem with noise last summer and huge problems with the neighbours complaining. It was after I increased my flock from 3 to 6, they had not been noisy before then so I think you will probably be fine with just 2. Think about where your neighbours sleep. Ours sleep at the back of the house with the window open all year round and they don't get up until 10.30am - just my luck eh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furryelephant Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Aha... a fellow Magpie owner with a noisy Magpie Seems my Kylie isn't the very noisy one-off special chicken she thinks she is! She is however... absolutely beautiful! We live on a modern estate, gardens on 3 sides and no-one has complained yet and we've had our two nearly 12 months now! Luckily my best friend lives next door and just laughs at my Diva chicken, our other neighbours don't seem to bother and I suspect that other people think the noise is geese on the canal which is only about 100 metres away. Let's face it, most people wouldn't expect it to be chickens! Our Gingernut is as peaceful as anything so I second the "think twice before picking a Magpie" advice and don't worry too much about the odd cluck cluck. To be honest, they're quieter than a barking dog and usually quieter than the dawn chorus of blackbirds outside our bedroom window Happy chicken keeping! Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddleduck Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Wow, so many replies and so soon too! Well I'm guessing my next move is to approach the neighbours, fingers crossed they won't mind (I have my heart set on this idea so I don't know what will happen if they are not keen! ) As I already have a slightly noisey 1 year old westie and a cat that visits there gardens on regular occasions I am thinking chickens may just push my non pet friendly neighbours over the edge! watch this space! and thanks again, your all so friendly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I was very very paranoid before i got chickens and when they were new, as i have neighbours either side and 3 close at the back. my neighbour one side has 4 chickens of her ownnow and the other side hardly notices them. the ones at the end i have no idea but 1 of them has loud slanging matches i hear in the summer and the other has a dog. I used to rush out when first had them and they so much as squarked but i now think i over reacted and people haven't really noticed. summer weekend mornings i paniced now, winter time they have all gone to work before there is any noise! So go for it, i worry too much , so my hubby tells me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Mine are noisy. I don't have neighbours so isn't an issue, but if I did, I wouldn't be keeping them under next-doors wondow or too near their patio......I think if you sound them out first then you'll probably find they'll not object ot them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I have a small garden on a modern estate and mine are only noisy in the summer when they know I am at home and they are shut in the run ( it's a kind of let us out to play or else we will be really noisy thing). They don't like the dustbin man. I don't tend to worry to much as the neighbours on one side are noisy ( the can't seem to talk normally and shout all the time) and the oldies on the otherside have their telly so loud I can hear it in the garden. Some one near me has budgies or canaries in their garden 'cause you can hear the cheeping.Plus there are a few dogs in the area who yap through the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Is a Magpie the same as a Daisybelle? If so then yes, mine is noisy too Maisy has supersonic hearing and I swear she can hear the second I get out of bed. Then she makes a loud sqwarking noise until I release them from their coop. My newer girls are also noisy as they're coming into lay and I find the noise increases during that period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkytinsel Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I had to rehome my 4 hens last year as they were incredibly noisey and started crowing at 4am every morning. I had a complaint from my neighbour and tried everything to keep them quiet but nothing worked. I also became a prisoner in my house as if I even went near the back of the house it would start the girls off. It got so bad that I was threatened with Environmental Health and as I was losing sleep we had to make the hard decision to rehome them. It's sad and I miss them so much and there's not a day that goes by when I don't look out into the garden and expect to see them there. Sorry to be negative but I wouldn't want you to get hens and then find that you had complaints. I would definately check with your neighbours and offer them free eggs. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We have 2 chickens outside. one makes hardly any noise at all but the wellsummer will tell you off for any misdermeaner. Picking her up is the worst crime! woo what a noise. even after you put her down she wanders around making sure the world knows how evil i am for giving her a stroke. my neighbours are fine, they told me that they dont really hear them and one even likes to watch them out of her window Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I have a small garden, closeby houses etc etc.... and find it better to shut the EGLu door at night so they are quieter in the morning. I found they were quieter once they came into lay. I love their burbling and chattering! I find weekends here noisy anyway = it's all mowers, kids, bbq's, talking etc - i'm sure most people don't realise we have chickens! One neighbour moaned, but that was because she loves to moan at everything, the other day she actually said to me that she actually quite likes what little noise they make now! Louise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I have a small garden, closeby houses etc etc.... and find it better to shut the EGLu door at night so they are quieter in the morning. Louise That's the key in the summer, If you have noisy hens it is best to shut them in at night. We do have noisy hens......they arent noisy all the time - just when they "egg announce" and maybe see a bird or cat in the garden. I have neighbours behind me and I would worry that they would make a noise before we got up so for the past 3 years we have been closing the eglu/cube door all year around. During the summer we put a black picnic blanket over the top of the cube (not covering ventilation holes) and this definitely keeps them quiet - we have a cctv camera inside the cube and even at 6.45am on a summer's morning they are still asleep Not all hens are noisy, and the noise really isnt bothersome compared to dogs barking, cars, lawn mowers etc. I think I worry too much most of the time as we have never had any complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We've three noisy hens. Edna is just noisy all the time chattering and talking however Mo our cream legbar has been known to sound like a cockerel and start squarking before she lays and then it can go on for about 20 minutes afterwards. Worse though is Snowball who does a very good impression of a dog barking and it goes on for too long. We can sometimes hear her at the front of the house. If she doesn't quieten down I do think we are going to have complaints from one set of neighbours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surferdog Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Yes a Daisybelle looks the same as a magpie (and mine was bought as a Silver Nova), stunning looking birds though. I agree with the advice about keeping them shut in at night. Sylvie woke me up 5.30am the other morning after OH thought he'd be helpful and let them out when he left for his early shift. She'd come out of the eglu into the run while the security light was on and started screeching when she was suddenly plunged into pitch darkness. Obviously worked as I came flying out half asleep in PJs (brrrr) and set the light off again I keep them locked in until 7.30 and they're fast asleep in the eglu until they hear the latch on their run open and then there's an almighty crashing and banging as they all jostle to get out. My main worry is my next door neighbours who run a marketing business from home. They say they never hear them but I'm sure their customers must think they operate from a farmyard sometimes. You can hear Sylvie down the next road when she really gets going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodcat Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We have 5 chooks at the moment and we have one neigbour attached for to us and 6 people with ajoining gardens. We never talked to them before getting our original three and we've never had a complaint. Ours spend most of the time just doing a middle level boking, occationally we have either a shouting match to bring us out the house or an alert call that sounds like a fog horn has gone off in the back garden but actually it's no louder than the blasted children in one of the houses next to us and considerably quieter than the music that somtimes gets played in the summer and it isn't very often at all. I think provided you don't have a cockrel your neighbours will have nothing to moan about Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My cochins are so noisy in the Spring and Summer when they lay. They could seriously wake the dead and they never get fed up with the sound of their own voices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyber Chook Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Hi, just to add my tuppence-worth, like you I was very worried about noise, as the five chooks are at the bottom of the garden, near to neighbour's bedrooms in the houses that back on to our garden. At first, the chooks seemed a lot more flighty than they are now, and they did sometimes make a bit of a racket, mostly I think as someone else said, to announce the arrival of an egg, the possibility of the arrival of an egg, or quite often there would be hens queuing to lay in the nest box and they aren't patient madams They've settled down well, though, and now i would say yes, they do break into the odd "Bok Bok BAAAAAK" maybe once every couple of weeks. I do worry a bit, but no-one's come around to complain. I have the feeling that if I went around and actually asked them if it was a problem, they might say "Yes", and I don't know what I'd do then, so I haven't asked!! My neighbours in my street swear they don't hear them. We're right at the top of the house in the loft conversion. I used to stumble half asleep down all the stairs and go out there, but now I just fling the window open, and call down the garden in a sort of shouty whisper, "OLIVE! BE QUIET!!" and that usually works. It is a bit of a worry, isn't it. I think I would just give it a go, personally, and get them. If the worst comes to the worst, and you have a rowdy bunch, you can always deal with it then and maybe pass them on to someone else and try some more hens. Or even sell the eglu if it came to it, although of course that isn't what you'd want, I'm sure. But you can sell it for a very good price, and lose very little financially. Not trying to put you off or worry you, quite the opposite, just thinking that really it's worth trying to give it a go. PHew! Best wishes with your decision making, hope this hasn't made it worse Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
