When I first started researching backyard chickens one of the things I read was that hens are pretty quiet.
Where roosters have their mighty crow, hens just kind of titter and cluck quietly. Little ladies of the lawn, they waddle about, having quiet conversations about tasty treats and the best places to roll in the dirt.
Lies, I tell you! LIES!
Or maybe it is just my girls.
https://youtu.be/URffZmojgsQ
They squawk loudly when they want out of their tractor in the morning. If they aren’t squawking, they are are running their beaks up and down the chicken wire. It is a bit like prisoners bang their tin cups against the prison bars in movies.
https://youtu.be/39omhePaDSE
When one of them lays an egg, they ALL crow proudly, “We have made eggs! We must now sing the song of our people, so the nice lady will come for them and bring us treats!”
When I move the coop, they set up a fuss that I am not moving fast enough. Coop moving day means fresh layer ration. Which somehow must be better than that which is in the feeder currently… and treats.
They fuss over the laying box and who gets to use it first.
I added a second box to ease tensions, but they don’t care. They want the box the other hen is using, because you know, chicken logic.
They squawk when it’s time to change sides of the yard for grazing.
They fuss when someone is in the workshop for any reason other than treat getting.
They screech when they think someone ate more meal worms than they got themselves.
They sing the eggs song BEFORE they lay an egg, like advanced warning to have the treat ready.
They argue over who gets the middle spot on the roost at night.
They are just loud.
I am so glad I have forgiving neighbors. Then again, they probably think this is not as bad as the braying donkey about a 1/4 mile up the road. Nearly everyone has a dog here. We have loads of squirrels to bark at, and they have loud conversations with eachother, occasionaly.
It’s all relative, I suppose.
In the Poo-Princesses’ defense, they are not always noisy. They do have the quiet conversations while grazing the lawn most of the day. They are quiet in the evenings at roosting time after they have settled the middle spot debate. They coo and purr at me when they want pets. They definitely are not as loud as a rooster. Their occasional commotion doesn’t make me love them any less. I also have heard no complaints from the neighbors, or city.
I would not, after having this experience, recommend backyard chickens for those living in politely quiet neighborhoods. I certainly wouldn’t recommend sneaking them into neighborhoods ruled by iron fisted HOA’s. If those chickens are anything like mine, you most certainly will get caught. I heard re-homing hens can be difficult in the city. The odds of them ending up in freezer camp, high.
Not that I am objectionable to freezer camp. However, those who have lovingly raised their little fluff balls as pets might be upset at such a fate. I get it. It’s okay. I kind of feel the same about my own pet hens, but this is a subject for another post.
Yes, chickens are noisy. It is just the way they are. If you decide to bring your own chicks home, for whatever your reason, do some research first. Talk to your neighbors. Find out what your community and municipality rules are regarding the keeping of poultry. Make it a good experience for everyone by making sure everyone is informed and ready for the occasional chicken outburst and daily egg songs.
It’s just neighborly, and part of responsible animal husbandry.
It helps, too, if you bribe your neighbors with fresh eggs.
Posted from WordPress for Android
Anna's Bonne Bouche 
November 8, 2015 at 6:06 am
My neighbors roosters are very loud even at two am. The hens I barely notice at all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 8, 2015 at 2:12 pm
The next community over from us here allows livestock. They are maybe a 1/4 mile away, separated by a strip of forest. I can hear the roosters when I am outside. I find the sound almost soothing. I know that is weird. My cousin’s ranch has several roosters. When I visit, I hear them crow all night. It only bothered me when they roosted in the tree just outside where we were staying. It was more of a crowing competition. Haha. After the first night it didn’t bother me so much. Then again, I can sleep through most anything 😉
LikeLike
November 10, 2015 at 12:03 am
We live in an unincorporated part of the county. So even though it is suburban there are much less rules. That means my neighbors can have 20+ chickens including multiple roosters, a couple of ducks and pigeons. There are even people not to far away with horses.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 8, 2015 at 8:04 pm
I enjoyed your blog. It is true that most people’s dogs are louder than our girls, and one hour of leaf blowing equals a whole year of hen noises however loud. I am presently chickenless, but my girls were distressingly raucous. Unfortunately, they took a dislike to my neighbor’s husband and would hassle him every time he came out of his house to get in his car. I gave away a lot of eggs to my nearest neighbors in the early days! I agree with you quiet hens are Chicken Myth #1. Begonia
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 8, 2015 at 8:56 pm
I wonder if chickens have a natural sense of territory. Mine do get upset when strangers come into the yard. Thankfully, they live behind a 6′ wood privacy fence, so my neighbors haven’t had to experience an attack chicken, yet. Though, a police officer was harassed when in my yard recently. (See: The Curious Case of the Capsicum Caper )
Thank you for your comment!
LikeLike
November 8, 2015 at 10:35 pm
Haha! Yes, someone lied! Noisy ladies!
LikeLike
November 8, 2015 at 10:44 pm
They are! Haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 9, 2015 at 7:28 pm
gorgeous chickens! I got some a few weeks ago, but mine have been surprisingly quiet. Maybe they silenced by how large their new coop turned out to be…http://livingechoblog.com/reclaiming-an-old-chicken-coop-part-2/
LikeLike
November 9, 2015 at 7:38 pm
Thank you! They are pretty girls.
I think chickens, like most people/animals, all differ in personality by individual. Mine are pretty boisterous. Another chicken lady I know has pretty quiet girls. Go figure.
I read over your blog. Nice coop! I was reading over your comment section and saw the references to chickens acting like veloceraptors. I once told my husband that chickens were the closest living relatives of the T-rex. He didn’t really see the connection until we saw Jurassic World. That was an “a-ha!” Moment. Haha. 😉
LikeLike