Part 0800.0005

[tinaduffyjames]

Hi, I will be the very proud owner of my eglu go and 2 chickens when they finally arrive on the 19th May. I am sooooo excited. However, I have scoured forums, websites etc and the only thing that is worrying me is the noise. I live in a terrace house and the chickens will be about 60 foot down the garden. I have read on this forum some posts regarding really noisy hens and this is a concern as I really dont want to upset the neighbours. I have looked at peoples videos of their chickens and they generally do seem fairly quiet but from your posts I see that this is not always the case. Obviously all hens are different so I just hope I get lucky. My hens are coming with my Eglu, a pepperpot and a gingernut ranger. Basically I think I just need reassurance that it will all be ok. I would just hate to be told I have to give them up because of the noise.

Thank you Tina

[Millie-Annie]

My neighbour has 7 chickens and the only time I hear them is when I am down the end of the garden with my girls. So if his 7 are fairly quiet your two should be fine.

 

I had three ex-batts and they were quiet. I now have one ex-batt and one Suffolk Noir. The suffolk talks all the time, but fairly quietly. Probably because if she talks too loudly she draws attention to herself and gets a quick peck from the other one

[tinaduffyjames]

I hope so. Having gone down the route of checking house deeds, planning dept and environmental health and had no negative responses I would hate it to be a neighbour who throws a spanner in the works. I really can not wait till my hens arrive. The potential noise thing is my only concern. Some of the posts mention hens that really are a problem.

Also, being new to this, do I call them hens or chickens when posting?

[txswanie]

Hi,

welcome to the wonderful and worrying world of chickens. I have a cube and got the first 2 of 4 hens last week. At first they were quite noisy and I have to be honest it started to freak me out, I was thinking what will this be like with 4 (it was supposed to be 6 but I am so not ready for that yet). They arrived on Thursday, Friday was a nightmare. They were rampaging all over the garden eating everything in sight and squawking like lunatics. In their previous home they had been kept in a big coop with lots of other chickens and no grass. I think they just went mental for a bit (and got the runs) I think they were just settling in. By Sunday it had settled down a bit and I now only notice the noise when they first wake up and want out of the coop, when they are laying an egg and when I go up at dusk with the chicken snacks (tricking them into the coop)

Saying that though, I am still completely paranoid about every noise (coyotes and raccoons around here) so I am checking all the time. I am quite sure that this will wear off when I am sure they are safe and happy. They do make a hell of a racket when they are laying. I suppose we all would if we had to lay an egg every day.

I dont know if chickens are kept busy by toys but I have provided a few perches hanging from the trees, and some hiding places out in the grass. To be honest they are busy most of the day looking for bugs and things.

Offer your neighbours some eggs and keep them onside. I have found that most people round here find the whole chicken thing charming.

Good luck.

Colette.

[Alis girls]

My don't even announce an egg - i do though I think I am more noisey - "we have an egg" I shriek to OH and sons eyes roll and men in white coats roll up in a van A bit of bok boking and thats it - kids and excited mums make more noise

[Lavenders_Blue]

They can shout a bit, but to be honest it doesn't worry me as there are so many other things that make noise.

 

Dogs barking in gardens

Noisy early morning crows

Children playing (not an unpleasant sound! Just saying can be heard in other people's gardens)

Cars

Aeroplanes

etc

 

Also chickens tend to bok bok for a minute or two then shut up again, unless you are very unlucky and have a particularly enthusiastic egg announcer.

 

All in all I would say that although mine can be a bit shouty on occasion, it's unlikely to cause any upset to the neighbours. The crows make more noise first thing in the morning!

[jennydavies]

We have four hens and until you walk into the run, you wouldn't know they were in the garden. They always chat to us when we go in but it's only quiet chatter. When Nugget lays an egg each day, she announces it but it's not noisy, just a bit of bok bokking for a couple of minutes at the most, then all is quiet again. We can only hear our neighbours coqs crowing if we are in the garden, we never hear their hens. We find the Pintades (Ginea Fowl) are much noisier than hens.

[jellykelly]

I don't really hear a lot from my current 14. They all chat along quietly.

They'll make a little noise if something spooks them, but thats about it. I am however bringing 2 new girls home today. ?They will be in full view of the others so I should imagine there will be a little bit of noisy protesting - but no worse then the bloomin' seagulls!!

[Egluntyne]

I would't worry too much about noise. I have a couple who go on a bit when they lay an egg, but apart from that, they are drowned out by ambient neighbourhood noise.

 

The dawn chorus round here is deafening, even at this time of year, so compared to that mine hardly make a peep.

[Squawk]

reading the posts here I think I must have the noisiest chickens!

 

The shout before during and after laying an egg, when they find something exciting to eat, when they see me (because I might have something exciting to eat), when a noise scares them etc etc

 

I think im just unlucky though as a new hen I got recently is very quiet and just clucks quietly to herself when she is happy.

 

Neither of my neighbours is bothered by the noise. One neighbour was more worried about the noise her children make and the other neighbour likes the noise because it makes her feel like she is in the countryside.

 

I wouldnt worry too about the noise - they make up for it by being very entertaining

[tinaduffyjames]

Thanks for the replies. I have small children and a dog so add the chickens too and I could pass for "the family from hell". lol . Im sure I am worrying over nothing. Just worried about my elderly next door neighbour as I think my children drive her mad with their noise sometimes too and dont want to add to it with the chickens. Im sure my chickens will be well behaved! What are the chances?!

[Egluntyne]

Take her the odd box of eggs. That should do the trick.

[Roobaloo]

Children playing (not an unpleasant sound! Just saying can be heard in other people's gardens)

 

I think that depends on whether you like children or not.

One of my chooks is being really loud today!! ...but I'm not bothered as the neighbourhood children make a LOT more noise all evening and weekend.

 

I'd sooner have 20 loud hens like Suki than one noisy child...

[chicken bark]

I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of noise they make. There are so many more obtrusive noises in gardens that a bit of chicken clucking is really pleasant.

 

Eggs are a good way to get neighbours onside. You'll probably find your neighbours will like the sound chickens make.

 

I can't hear my chickens over the noise the sheep are making in the field next to me. Most of the time they sound like a bunch of old men having a good cough!

[chickyhazel]

Our chickens are quite quiet unless we leave them in the run for ages, or don't let them out of the glu early enough. The neighbours don't seem to care, even when they escape into their gardens!