4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[cambridgehens]

We've had our 3 hens for 5 days and so far, so good. They've been free ranging for the last couple of days in our garden (our house is terraced so, we're jolly close to neighbours) and seem to be enjoying it.

 

They've been making gentle clucking sounds now and again and sometimes raised their voices a little bit more than that, but this morning it was something else!!!

 

I heard them from upstairs and all three of them were standing very upright, necks stretched making a real racket!!

 

I urged them back into the run hoping it would quieten them down but the noise went on for another 20mins or so - really loud, persistent clucking from all three of them. I was quite alarmed and concerned that the noise is really going to disturb our neighbours if that's a regular occurence!? I heard two back doors being shut...!

 

My colleague who also keeps chickens (but on a farm) suggested that they might have been frightened by something.

 

I am sure I am being a bit alarmist, but if that's a normal daily noise level, there's no way we can expect our neighbours to put up with that long term...I wish Omlet had warned us a bit more!

 

Any thoughts or similar experiences gratefull received!!

 

Thanks

[Tulip]

Sounds like an alarm call to me. Sure there will be fewer once they settle in. Mine were bokkAAARKing at half six yesterday because a cat scared them. Served my neighbours right for still being in bed

 

Edited to add: they used to alarm call when they saw garden birds, but are now used to them. There aren't many cats round here, which is why they were scared.

 

Don't worry, I'm sure it won't happen often.

[Chickvic]

If they were all doing it then I would agree that is was an 'alarm' call. I also live in a terraced house and I honestly have only had a few alarm calls. Opal used to make a row occassionally when she laid an egg but it was a reasonable time - after 8am. Although last summer I was woken twice by her at about 4.30am I keep the eglu door shut until at least 7am now. I wouldn't worry too much - is it any worse than a dog constantly barking?

[TAJ]

My did this all the time if the cat walked in the garden initially, now they are use to them and keep this noise to foxes or other scary things, like the lawn mower now - I am sure they will calm down, but also look at what is making them like this.

 

Tracy

[Jennyhenny]

Morning Cambridgehens,

 

I can't help you I'm afraid as I have only had my three girls since Saturday.

 

I'm not terraced but detached but our gardens are very small. My eglu is outside my French doors (only place eglu would fit) which is next to the fence between us and our neighbour. I know how you feel about the noise everytime mine make a noise I keep thinking . The gentle clucking is lovely but they also seem to shout (especially when we go around) I think there just saying hello but

 

I think I'm just being paranoid my husband and dad keep saying there fine the local birds ie. pigeons make more noise. Mine seem to get more vocal at bedtime. How are yours at bed time and where are they situated in the garden are they close to the neighbours house Do they go to bed on their own and what time Which hens did you go for ?

 

I'll be eagerly watching what the experts say

 

Jennyhenny

[cambridgehens]

Thanks for the replies! Tulip, your 'BokAARRRKING' description is so accurate to the noise they were making this morning!!! (made me laugh!) So it must have been an alarm call.

 

Well, they haven't met next door neighbours cat before now, so I am guessing an early morning appearance from him might have started it. They were very nervous of birds overhead to start with but seem to be ok with that. Guess they're just getting used to their surroundings!

 

Hi Jennyhenny, thanks for your reply, too! Yes, it's so easy to be paranoid when it's all so new, isn't it! I was pleading with my chickens this morning to pipe down!! To no avail, I hasten to add!! Turns out they don't respond to reasoning!! Our 3 chickens (a ginger nut, who is already the most inquisitive, a pepperpot - the boss, and a very flighty and nervous spekeldy maran) take themselves off to bed as soon as it gets to be dusky and I haven't noticed any other intrusive or regular noises from them up until this morning.

 

Yes, I think wild birds are just as noisy, often - not to mention other people's children in their gardens!! Perhaps we just need not to worry so much...!? Good luck with your hen keeping!

[Project_Chicken]

Glad I came across this topic- my hens are due ont eh 27th and I've had to speak to both neighbours before ordering. One used to have hens himself, the other is more in to R&B, so I will wait and see what the hens make of that!

[Cooks]

definately sounds like they were alarmed by something, I rarely hear mine unless they are announcing an egg or alarmed.

 

pm me if your stuck about anything and need immediate help, I am only a short drive away! although only coming up for my first year of hen keeping on the 26th of this month myself LOL

[furryelephant]

I have a noisy hen and she has been noisy for the past 12 months with no neighbourly complaints! The alarm call that they make tends to be in answer to a cat prowling along the fence or the local blackbird who the chickens regularly have a sqwawking match with

 

Watch out for getting into a routine of going out to them when they're noisy.. this was my mistake and Kylie is now convinced she has trained me to come out with food or attention whenever she shouts! I have made a note for future reference to avoid being trained by my chicken

 

The way I see it is that the neighbours have children who are always in the garden on a trampoline or playing football... and making noise. We have no children, but we have hens who sometimes make noise - fair swap?!

 

Good luck with your girls... I wouldn't swap mine for the world (sqwawks and all!)

 

Paula

[Egluntyne]

Sounds like an alarm call to me too, as they were all at it.

 

Sometimes they announce the arrival of an egg with a cacophony too, but that is generally just the layer.

[Guest]

I took my spaniel for a walk and came back took her near to the chickens and she started whinning at them & i thought 1. What a pain in the neck 2. she is worse than a chicken noise..although mine will no doubt become vocal..it is day one

 

My neighbours lab started barking as it could hear whinny spaniel so dont worry about the neighbours at all. Dog barking is far worse..our local new vicar has 3 german shepherds so when i go via the tranquil church/rectory all hell is let lose literally! Amen!

 

indie

[Sky]

Mine made their first major noise today too. Up until now (we have had them for 4 weeks) we have just had the gentle clucking, getting a bit more excited when I go out to feed them or let them out but this morning I opened the back door to a real chicken noise going on. It turned out to be my "2 layers" Sophie and Nora one laying in the nest and the other one wanting to get in and do hers Eventually, there were two eggs in the same nesting box - for some reason they only are interested in one out of two of the nesting boxes, goodness knows what is going to happen when all 5 are laying - although I am sure someone will tell me!!!

[JB09]

Hi guys, when I first got my girls three weeks ago. Dolly the used to make a racket every so often. I was like a nervous wreck because I was worried about the neighbours! I soon worked out that a cat walking the tops of the fences started her off but now she has become used to it and doesn't even bat an eye lid anymore let alone make a noise. The neighbours were fine too when they realised I had chickens - one even feeds them slugs over the fence! (i'm sure he will stop this when he realises they have been sneaking into his garden and digging in his neatly manicured shrubs! - had to jump over and get them, then spent the next half hour finding the hole they got through!)

 

The world of chickens!

 

I'm sure they will settle down soon

 

JB

[Amy Walpole]

Hey there!

I had this problem when my RIR hybrid noticed my cat for the first time! She went crazy! That was the only time I have heard them making such a noise, and since they were rather new to my garden, I imagined they were panicky. I have encouraged them to be subjected to things that might give them a shock, such as making lots of noise ourselves, in order to make them more accustomed to things. They are very hardy now, and after seven weeks with us, they have become very placid. No cotton-wool wrapping for our chickens!

Hope this helps,

Amy.

[snowcloud]

Ours like to make a bit of a row now and again, but usually only then they are annoyed about something, want attention (i.e. think they have run out of food) or are laying an especially large egg . We used to live in a town and none of our neighbors knew we had the chickens, despite us worrying that they were going to be annoyed by the noise. Now we live in the country and most people have chickens, pigs, horses or something!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Mine were sometimes a bit loud and it used to worry me that the neighbours would get annoyed but one neighbour said she could hardly hear it and she liked the noise in any case .

 

Now, 18 months on, they hardly make any noise at all .

[urbanchick]

I had this problem with noise last summer and it just got earlier and earlier until it was starting at 5am every morning. It started again a month ago and so bought a blackout tarpaulin. Now it's absolute silence until 7.30am when I take it off and open the cube door.

 

http://www.tarpaulins-togo.co.uk/product-142/Olive-Green-PVC-Tarpaulin---Size-3m-x-3m.html

 

So don't worry, there is a solution!

[Jennyhenny]

Hi Urbanchick,

 

How do you hold the tarpauline on at night. Last night was very windy, would it stay on in the wind and would it be noisy?

 

Jennyhenny

[urbanchick]

The tarpaulin has eyelets built into it and I use the bungee clips that Omlet supplied with the standard run shade - they sell extra ones for 50p, but you have to ask as they don't appear on the website. It is extremely secure and would not budge in a gale.

[urbanchick]

And no it's not noisy, it's pvc tarpaulin not the crackly stuff