My 6 pullets are coming into lay and have become obnoxiously vocal! I'm afraid it is going to disturb the neighbors! We can keep chickens only if we aren't a disturbance. Well they are constantly "crawing" when they see me. It only gets better if I lock them up in their coop but only a little. Then they start in with loud egg songs but no eggs I have yet to see an egg and song together. The couple that do lay don't sing at that time but feel free to sing loudly at other times such as perceived danger or separation. Any helpful hints before someone forces me to get rid of them? Who ever said hens are quiet?!
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Well I came home today and discovered 3 eggs! That would be 4 total if you count this mornings soft egg. Goldie of course laid one in her cage! I found her pecking away at it, but her eggs are very hard and getting bigger. The ameraucana (blue/green) dropped her first. Broken next to the plank which leads up to the nesting boxes. Oops. And a good sized " pink" egg by either the BR who has resumed laying or the Wyandotte, in a bucket with sand in it below the roost. Jeez I feel somewhat relieved for all of us. Of course we get to start this in again tomorrow morning. Hopefully they will regulate and calm down a little over the next couple weeks.
Here is what I know (which isn't a lot). Chickens are cannibals and will eat each other if they can get away with it. You really have to watch and test with Goldie. But don't put her back out with the others until there is no blood. They will go nuts over blood and keep attacking. You might think about hotpick or rooster booster on the comb of the troubled girl but most likely this is pecking order behavior. A good key to seeing if that is the case would be to see if your other girls pick on the one injured girl too. Some times however a chicken is just aggressive. In a flock with no rooster, sometimes one hen will take on the job and there may not be much you can do about that if those two girls just really don't get along. I've read lots of people having to rehome a hen over this sort of thing. You'd probably have an easier time of rehoming the picked on bird if Goldie leaves the rest of the flock alone mostly. Just some thoughts.
The expression, "pecking order" came from chickens for a reason. You'll always have a pecking order. Is Goldie hurting the other birds, or just bossing them around?
Sometimes, they get more quiet as they mature. This hormonal change is very new to them, hopefully yours will quiet down when they get used to it.
Hens will never be a silent pet, but usually they only make the bok bok baccckkkkaaaawww when they have just laid or are standing outside the nest box watching (waiting) another bird sit and try to lay.
Our chickens get loud around 9-10am....usually when they are laying. It's never longer than 30-40 minutes though. Most hens cluck and caw a little but not like roosters. Also, what kind of breeds are they? Are they louder than all of the normal bird noise from doves and other birds?
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Again any success with the separating business?
Here is what I know (which isn't a lot). Chickens are cannibals and will eat each other if they can get away with it. You really have to watch and test with Goldie. But don't put her back out with the others until there is no blood. They will go nuts over blood and keep attacking. You might think about hotpick or rooster booster on the comb of the troubled girl but most likely this is pecking order behavior. A good key to seeing if that is the case would be to see if your other girls pick on the one injured girl too. Some times however a chicken is just aggressive. In a flock with no rooster, sometimes one hen will take on the job and there may not be much you can do about that if those two girls just really don't get along. I've read lots of people having to rehome a hen over this sort of thing. You'd probably have an easier time of rehoming the picked on bird if Goldie leaves the rest of the flock alone mostly. Just some thoughts.
The expression, "pecking order" came from chickens for a reason. You'll always have a pecking order. Is Goldie hurting the other birds, or just bossing them around?
Sometimes, they get more quiet as they mature. This hormonal change is very new to them, hopefully yours will quiet down when they get used to it.
Hens will never be a silent pet, but usually they only make the bok bok baccckkkkaaaawww when they have just laid or are standing outside the nest box watching (waiting) another bird sit and try to lay.
I have light brahmas and Buff orps and they are super quiet.....and SWEET!!
I also have a few barred rocks and silver wyandottes and they squawk when they are laying, but thats about it!
My Wyandottes are SUPER noisy!! Noisiest breed I've ever had.
Silver-laced wyandottes are commonly considered one of the quietest breeds. Are yours the silver-laced?
The silver are the worst offenders, the gold not as bad :) I think I got a "strange" batch from Ideal ;)
Our chickens get loud around 9-10am....usually when they are laying. It's never longer than 30-40 minutes though. Most hens cluck and caw a little but not like roosters. Also, what kind of breeds are they? Are they louder than all of the normal bird noise from doves and other birds?
My hens are quiet...but I specifically chose quieter breeds.
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