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

[Doodle]

Please, please, please....someone have a good suggestion because if i don't sort this problem out, my girls will have to be re-homed.

 

Three hens and a Cube from Omlet last May.

 

As well as Cube, the girls have a secure run and, when the run door is open, a large, fenced off area to roam.

 

About 4 weeks ago, they started to make a massive racket from about 6.15am. I think they might be arguing about the nest box but I'm not totally sure.

 

I've tried:-

 

a) Leaving Cube door open over night so they can come & go as they please. Didn't help.

 

b) Legging it down to the run and throwing a tin of corn in to keep them occupied. Didn't work.

 

c) Opening the run door so they can get in to the larger area. Still no joy.

 

d) Taking the noisiest one out and putting her in a cat box filled with straw and keeping her in the kitchen until a reasonable time. Limited success as the other two started squarking after a while.

 

e) Letting them on to the lawn - limited success. Seemed to be working but yesterday morning & this morning, it didn't work and all three started yakking whilst on the lawn.

 

f) Swearing at them. No luck.

 

After about 8am, I swear the only noise they make it a bit of gentle coo-cooing. They're a doddle to look after otherwise but this early morning stuff is really getting to the neighbours and I so don't blame them. I'd be hacked off too, if I'm honest.

 

Any suggestions.....please.

[Patricia W]

Have you tried excluding light? That is often the trigger.

 

I don't know what colour your cube is but the green one is apparently the darkest. Even so, it does let light through. Try covering the cube with a dark material - people use the black backed picnic blankets I think. And you will need to keep the door closed too.

 

The other thing is to give eggs to the neighbours who may complain!

 

Good luck!

 

Tricia

[chelsea]

Close the cube door at night!

 

It works.

 

I have been closing the door for over a year now with success. With noisy hens you have to take charge and show them who is boss. I cover the cube at night with a dark cover (not covering ventilation holes) which keeps it darker inside for longer. Keep a routine and open the door the same time every morning and they will get used to it.

 

I open the cube weekdays at 7am and at weekends 7.30 - 8am. Then when they come out by the time they have eaten and scratched around so it is a more reasonable hour if/when they do make noise.

[Patricia W]

Just another thought. I was away a couple of nights recently and so my OH put them away. Now, I always give a couple of handfuls of mixed corn to a) get them in the run and b) fill them up for the night. OH was mingy with the corn and he said they woke up really early.

 

Might be worth trying to make sure they aren't hungry when they go to bed?

 

Tricia

[beergibbon]

Likewise I have tried everything and one of them is still ridiculously noisy for no apparent reason.

 

Would getting another 2 to add to my 2 help? They have also reduced from laying 2 eggs a day between them to about 1 every 3 days in total. What are they playing at? I have put red dust mite powder on them and given them worming feed.

 

Thanks

[Hen Watch]

I've tried:-

a) Leaving Cube door open over night so they can come & go as they please. Didn't help.

 

I found that leaving the door open was actually the cause of my early morning noise problem. They would get up at daybreak, wander into the run, get spooked by something trivial, alarm call all together at 4.30am...... it was awful.

 

So I now shut they eglu door at night (when I go to bed myself) and then open it up at 7.30am. They can't get out to get spooked by anything and if they do start up at 7.30am at least that is a reasonable time when neighbours are getting up to go to work. My lot got into their new routine quite quickly and are perfectly OK being locked away 'till 7.30 (or even a bit later at weekends). Then they all come rushing out of the eglu and spend another 10 or so contented minutes stuffing their beaks with pellets.

 

Hope you find a solution that works for you.

[Saronne]

Mine are shut up in the eglu until 8.00 a.m. every day and they're happy as anything, too. No noise, no bother and happy neighbours.

[urbanchick]

I really feel for all of you with this problem. When I added my ex batts to the existing hens all hell broke loose and last summer there was noise from 5.45, despite the cube door being shut, and the neighbours called the environmental health. I went through EVERYTHING that has been suggested and nothing worked well enough. The picnic blankets were ok but were smelly after being out in all weather.

 

The solution I have finally found is VERY effective and has completely solved my noise problem this year. I use an olive green pvc coated tarpaulin (which is blackout) to cover the cube and run. I lock them up at night, cover them with the tarpaulin (use the bungee clips that come with the Omlet shade) and get up to let them out at 7.30. It works 100%

 

My girls can compete with a cockeral when they get going. I don't think people understand just how bad the noise is unless they've been through it themselves.

 

You can buy the tarpaulin at tarpaflex.co.uk or tapaulins-togo.co.uk. I bought the 3x3m which perfectly fits the cube plus extension.

[Doodle]

Good morning & thank you for all your replies. I've been keeping an eye on the other two threads currently in active conversations about this same subject.

 

Last night, I fed them porridge & sweetcorn about an hour before bed, to make sure they weren't hungry. I then shut the door and put a black groundsheet over the whole Cube.

 

We got to 7.00am before they started. I ran down to them and lo, the groundsheet had blown off (stupid woman, so I am - I hadn't anchored it down).

 

I let them out and they mooched about for 15 minutes before one of them started giving out. I went down again, took her out and put her in a cat carrier in the kitchen for half an hour.

 

So we got to about 7.45/8.00am with only two short bouts of noise.

 

Tonight, I shall feed again before bed, shut the door and cover with groundsheet (anchored) and see what happens tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the taup link. I shall investigate. I notice they do a camouflage version....I wonder if the chickens will remember where they left their Cube if I put that over it

 

I have a little theory - I have three birds. If I took ONE out of the equation and just had two, I wonder if there would be less bickering? Not sure exactly why I think this, other than, when I take one out and put her in a cat carrier, the other two do settle more quickly. Any thoughts?

[chelsea]

 

I have a little theory - I have three birds. If I took ONE out of the equation and just had two, I wonder if there would be less bickering? Not sure exactly why I think this, other than, when I take one out and put her in a cat carrier, the other two do settle more quickly. Any thoughts?

 

Your theory is right . When I started off with just a pair of hens (Sam & Ella) I had know noise whatsoever....none! As soon as you add another hen you instantly have a flock and a pecking order and I noticed the noise levels changed almost immediately. They all "egg" each other on here, once one starts they all start, they bok bok across the garden to each other and show off with their egg announcements!

[kitchens]

I had a speckled sussex who was extremely noisy. I had raised her from a chick and was noisy from cradle to grave. My crested cream legbar is a bit vocal but not as much as the sussex was.

 

I don't think you will ever physically be able to get her to change her ways. Have you thought about moving your noisy girl on to someone who lives in a more rural spot than you where noise isn't an issue, as it seems such a shame she is tainting your chicken keeping experience.

[Doodle]

Kitchens, I would consider that if I could pin-point which of the beggars to move! All three do it, so I would need to figure out which one of them starts it or would be the 'right' one to move. Trouble is, I love all three. I dunno how people keep these things to eat them! I couldn't do it - I just couldn't! Maybe I went wrong when I gave them all names!

 

Mind, reading yours and 8888 posts, I've just had an idea....my friends keep chickens. I wonder if I could ask them to 'baby-sit' a different girl for a week at a time and see if it makes a difference. Then, if I could pin-point the main problem girl (the ASBO chicken), maybe they could adopt her!

 

Ooo-er - I think we could be on to something here......

[Doodle]

Day 1 Saturday

 

Got to 7.35am this morning - that's with door shut, cover on and a good feed before bed last night.

 

Let them out and they've made no undue noise since.

 

[cathybc]

sounds a good start. I had a problem with my neighbour and now shut the eglu door, which has certainly helped. Hope your quiet mornings continue!

[C&T]

Day 1 Saturday

 

Got to 7.35am this morning - that's with door shut, cover on and a good feed before bed last night.

 

Let them out and they've made no undue noise since.

 

 

 

Good for you!

 

Keep at it! We only started shutting the eglu door a couple of weeks ago, and the difference is amazing and well worth it. We occasionally heard some noise through the eglu in the first week even with the door shut, but not very much, and nothing in the last week - and we could only just hear it when listening for it.

 

Happy owners, happy chickens, happy neighbours!!

[Patricia W]

Once they are in the habit of being quiet till you open them up, they should continue. I'm sure that corn before bedtime helps our cockerel get through till a " decent" time.

 

Hope peace continues..

 

Tricia

[Doodle]

Thank you Triicia.

 

Day 2 - Sunday

 

Extra thick taup used over the Cube last night (found it in the garage - a left-over from our camping days). Also, another big dish of porridge before bed & closed Cube door.

 

So......8.45am, OH went down to let them out even though they'd not made a sound!

 

At 9.45am - the most almighty din as they argued over the nest box. I went down to split up the fight but I wasn't too worried at that time!

 

[Valkyrie]

I have had a couple of loud bokking sessions. One morning - half an hour before I normally let them out - I marched down the garden, opened the back of the cube and said to them rather crossly that it wasn't time yet. I close the lid and went back indoors. Not one peep did they make after that. I think they got the message, but I had been dropping the amount of corn that I give at night, thinking that the nights are shorter than winter and once again they bokked (which is usually a sound they make when they are frightened). I upped the portions and no more noise at all, phew.

[Patricia W]

Having given all this advice, Phillip woke at 6.45 this morning -SUNDAY - so had to get up and go down ( in red dressing gown and boots) and let him out so he shut up!! Then he went off again at 7.30 so went out again ( similarly attired ) - he'd LOST one of the girls (who was laying an egg) .... So had to show him where she was.... Don't you just love them...

 

Tricia

[Doodle]

Koojie - my chickens are used to me bellowing at the kids, so stern words don't cut it with my three

 

Tricia - what is it about Sundays? There's a definite preference for waking the neighbours on just about the worst day of the week!

 

Day 3 - Monday

 

8.15am - no noise but when I got down there to open up, there was a bit of 'chicken-chat' going on. I couldn't hear it until I got much closer to the Cube so I think the extra sturdy taup was muffling it.

 

Still, a good result so far.

[Valkyrie]

Koojie - my chickens are used to me bellowing at the kids, so stern words don't cut it with my three

 

Seems to be the opposite here - the chickens take note, but my children ignore me!

 

We have a strip of black carpet over the top of the cube - worked a treat and hangs si it doesn't cover the air holes.

[Suzy]

I've been following all the advice on here as I've had some really noisy starts recently and yesterday (Sunday) was the worst one yet with shrieking at 06:25.

 

I've now got a picnic rug over the top of the eglu and I decided to crawl in yesterday (I cannot believe I just admited that) and check how dark it was and discovered the bottom of the eglu (the light grey bit) lets in loads of light - so I made sure I covered that up and this morning they were really quiet (typical as I left the house at 07:45). They'd let themselves out (we shut the door but don't lock it so they can push it open) but no noise at all.

 

What was stranger was I checked and there were 3 eggs and usually we get an egg announcement from Lottie so something was definitely keeping them quiet.

 

It was the first time in nearly 6 months that I haven't been woken up by the hens and this morning I woke up because I hadn't heard anything! Fingers crossed it continues.....

[Doodle]

LOl Koojie.

 

Suzy - you crawled INSIDE? What are you then, pocket sized? I'm thinking you should change your posting name to Tinkerbell! I don't think even one of my butt-cheeks could squeeze in!

 

Day 4 - Tuesday

 

Damn it - forgot to open our bedroom window last night, so we didn't hear anything until gone 8.30am this morning. The neighbours however, did have their normal window slightly cracked open, so I'm just hoping the girls kept the noise down and what we heard at 8.30am was the start of it!

[Margaret]

Sorry, only 11 days to go untill Girlies arrive, so loads of silly questions. When yoy say porridge...as in Scots Porridge, as flakes or warm with water. Sorry have brought most food stuff but not sure on this one. Thanks.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

We've been through the quiet well-behaved chooks last summer, who didn't utter a sound unless upset by something or the occasional egg-call...then progressed to the "OMG what is that racket" when the Orpies arrived, but not in the early mornings as they arrived in January, so daybreak was at a reasonable hour! The batties were also quiet (and still are bless them!!)

 

When we integrated the chooks & Orpies and the mornings started earlier, we took the decision to try leaving the door of the cube open as Willow was having a munching session on the others neck and head feathers & as we saw no sign of it during daylight/freeranging hours, thought it was whilst they were penned in. The racket they produced in the cube was quite loud but at least muffled by the cube (and by our house so the neighbours haven't really got any room to complain ), we would have continued with having the door shut and covering the cube etc, had the Orpies not taken on the appearance of "bare necks"!!! Another reason for the door staying open was that one of the Orpies invariably decides to roost in the door way & to get her to move is like getting blood from a stone

 

Hopefully after nearly a week of segregation she has stopped the nasty pecking habit, and they still get up when they are ready - I just have to remember to top up the grubs & glugs before I go to bed

 

Good luck with the new regime, like children they like routine....and to know who's boss!!!

 

Sha x