If you live in an urban setting, having noisy chickens can be the vexation of the neighborhood. It can wake up the neighbors, disturb the peace, and interfere with your relationships with others. But instead of accepting noise as apart of life, why not change that? With these tips to stop chickens from being noisy, your neighborhood will be at peace again.
Before We Begin…
Why are my chickens so noisy? It’s important to remember that chickens won’t be completely silent. The average flock will make noises clucking and wandering around the yard. But they will never make noise above the average conversation level. So if you came here asking how to stop chickens from clucking, you might want to rethink chickens.
Instead, you should analyze loud points of the day and find a solution. You might find that one of these solutions is enough. But in some cases, to stop noisy chickens, you will need to combine a few tricks. So keep reading to find the best tips to stop chickens from being noisy.
Plenty Of Room
Are chickens noisy at night? Generally no. Chickens get loud when they feel confined. If you have too many chickens for your coop and run, you are bound to have issues. They will chatter because they are uncomfortable. Your hens might even fight more because of the lack of space.
If you find that your flock is loud, double-check the coop and run dimensions. You should have 2-3 square feet of space in the coop for every hen you have. And the run should have 10 square feet to give plenty of room to roam and forage. If your set up is too small, it might be time for an upgrade.
Smaller Flocks
Smaller flocks are great for many things. One of the best things about them is that they are less noisy. A good-sized starter flock has about five chickens. The more hens you add to this, the more squabbles and cramming is likely to happen. Plus, it’s easier to stop noisy chickens in smaller flocks rather than ten or more.
Automatic Door Opener
Chickens are probably their loudest first thing in the morning. After staying in the coop all night, they become restless at first morning’s light. Unfortunately for some, that means as early as 5:30 am. If you are wondering how to stop chickens being noisy in the morning, you could install an automatic door opener.
We love the ChickenGuard Waterproof Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener. You can either program this door to open and close at certain times. Or you can use the light sensor to open and close with the sun naturally. And since it’s battery-powered, you won’t have to worry about the coop’s lack of electricity.
Shutters On The Coop
We all know that as soon as your hens see the light, they are up and ready for action. But during the winter, we see daylight at such an early hour. You might not like the idea of an automatic door during this time due to the weather. An excellent alternative to stop noisy chickens is to use blackout shutters on your coop’s windows. Keeping the sunlight as long as possible could buy you a few hours of sleep.
Coop Radio
Long time chicken owners swear by keeping a timed radio in the coop. Setting your radio to a classical station keeps your hens calmed and relaxed until they can get out. No one knows why this method might work, but there are a few theories. The broadest accepted theory is that hens like music just as much as we do. The music calms them and gives them something to do.
Entertainment
Why are my chickens so loud in the morning? In many cases, it’s built up energy and boredom. One of the best tips to stop chickens from being noisy is to entertain them. Chickens spend most of their days foraging. But if you have a small property, there isn’t much they can forage before getting bored. Putting a few enriching things out for them is the best way to keep them quiet.
Entertaining chickens isn’t expensive. You can hang cabbage from a string that they can peck at. Or a box of sawdust with mealworms for extra protein. You could even scatter some treats around the yard for them to sift through. Some chickens even love hanging xylophones to peck at. This might not be the quietest solution, but at least you will have some chicken tunes to listen to.
And the best part is that this tip isn’t just for hens making noise in the morning. It’s also great for any time of the day. When you notice that your hens typically get loud, you can set some things out for them to do.
Keep The Coop Below The Fence Line
We all know that sound travels. But anything we can do to reduce that noise for the neighbors won’t go unnoticed. One of the best things you can do to muffle the coop is to keep it below the fence line. A privacy fence blocks most of the sound from traveling to the neighbor’s house. And when you combine this with placing the coop as far away from all homes, you might never notice the chickens.
Diets
All chickens will “brag” about their egg-laying abilities. You know the sounds we’re talking about. The loud ones that sound more like chickens squawking loudly in the coop throughout the day. These noises are expected when laying an egg- think childbirth here. But if you don’t feed your hens a proper diet, these sounds will become exaggerated.
Ensure that your hens are getting plenty of calcium and protein to aid in the egg-laying process. Calcium is a necessity not only for forming eggshells. It’s also essential to keep the muscles working to push the eggs out quickly. If your hens don’t have enough calcium, they will become egg bound and make more noise.
Plenty Of Nests
Nesting boxes are one of those subjects that might seem a little confusing. You typically want one nesting box for every 4-5 chickens. Any more boxes and your hens will roost in them and soil them quickly. But too few and your hens might fight over them.
If you have a small flock, it’s best to err on the side of caution and have two nesting boxes. This is because if one chicken is laying her egg and another chicken needs the box, it could cause a ruckus. So having two boxes could keep the noise levels down just a tad during the day.
Keeping Them Clean
Chickens like a clean environment. When forced into unclean conditions, it can make them restless. They will start to cluck more out of stress. You might even find that in times when they are in the coop, they are the loudest. So to stop noisy chickens in this scenario, all you need to do is clean up.
Safe And Secure
Chickens will get loud any time that they feel in danger. If you let your hens free-range without a safe space, it could cause unnecessary noise. So to stop noisy chickens, you need to give them a safe place. No matter if you let them have access to the coop or only in a run, they need a place to take shelter when they feel threatened.
Keeping your hens safe also has to do with outside noise levels. If your coop is against a fence with a barking dog, your chickens won’t feel safe. Checking the area for possible threats and predators will keep your hens happy and quiet.
No Roosters
One of the most obvious ways to stop noisy chickens is not to have roosters. Roosters will crow no matter what you do. That is why most cities have rooster bans. In a few cases, you might have thought that you purchased all females. But sure enough, once the hens are ready to start laying, one starts crowing. To prevent accidental roosters, you might want to choose a sex-link chicken.
Docile Breeds
You are here to learn how to keep chickens from being loud. But one way that most don’t think of is to choose a quieter breed. There are some breeds known for their constant chatter. These birds also tend to be more dominant and might cause quarrels with other hens. So if you want a quieter breed, you should choose one that is also docile.
Some of the quietest chicken breeds are:
- Australorps
- Wyandottes
- Orpingtons
- Java
- Cochin
- And the Plymouth Rock
These hens are excellent layers with beautiful temperaments. They have longer lifespans and also make perfect pets. We promise you won’t regret any of these quieter chicken breeds.
What Works For You?
Did you find any of these tips to stop chickens from being noisy a lifesaver? No matter what you do to quiet your hens, don’t forget to pay off your neighbors. Giving an egg basket is the perfect peace offering for anyone who isn’t thrilled about their new feathered neighbors. They might just put up with more once they see that they will benefit from them as well.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Backyard Chicken Board!!
