Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-Readers Questions
I have two hens. They making loud garble and I want to rip my hair out when they do it in the morning! Sometimes they do it for no reason at all, sometimes they do it after they just laid an egg. bock, bock, bock, bock, BAAAWK! 1. Is there anything I can do to fix this? they don't seem too trainable :) 2. For t...he next batch we get... are there any quiet hens out there? please oh please advise.
~Laura
Please leave a comment if you have any solutions for Laura.
From what I've read and experienced buff orpingtons are the least likely of the breeds to make noise. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think my BOs have ever made any noise. My Wyandottes seem to be fairly quiet as well, though I don't know if that's just my birds or typical of the breed.
ReplyDeleteAs for your current hens, there really isn't much you can do other than get rid of them.
Two of my hens have started doing this too. I have noticed it's right before or after they lay an egg. I am just going to relax about it as most of my neighbors are gone during the day. I would love to know if there is anything I could do other than move or send her out to my friends' farm. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, my loudest are also my best layers... I am not sure if there is any correlation there, but they are Delawares. My other two Easter Eggers are Aracaunas. They are relatively quiet and lay BEAUTIFUL green-ish blue eggs. I also have a Barred Plymouth Rock and she is pretty quiet but she is younger and hasn't started laying yet. Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteMy Delaware Whites were extremely noisy! It was stressing me out so much I had to get rid of them. My silkie was definately the quietest, and my favorite, but she was a terrible egg layer. Shelly, I think you are onto something with your theory.
ReplyDeleteI doubt you'll find a "quiet" chicken when she lays. I've come to love the sound- it announces that breakfast is ready ;D
ReplyDeleteMy BO's are definitely not quite, none of ours are (and we have a large variety). I agree that the Delaware's do carry on for a while, but they're very good layers. There is one that annoys me & that is a Buff Brahma. Her cackle is devilish & and she screeches awfully if one of the kid's check the boxes while she's in there.
I like to think of my hens cackling in terms of the barking dog next door. It barks all night long, so at least the hens sleep when we do!
I haven't a solution either. But this post cracked me up! I have four hens, two of which are Rhode Island Reds (my loudest ladies) and every morning such a ruckus for up to an hour. I refer to one as The Caller, because she seems to be announcing that, "Hey! We're laying eggs over here!" She's loudest when she's NOT the one laying an egg.
ReplyDeleteI guess "I" should just simmer down and stop complaining.
My Buffs make the MOST noise, before and after laying. The cochins are almost as noisy, and my araucanas and barnevelders are quiet...i dont think there is a solution! Backyard Poultry had a nice article in the june/july issue about the theories of the cackling. worth reading!
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteYour description of the hen banter is very accurate. Here is the interpretation:
Breakfast is served,
breakfast is served,
breakfast is served,
breakfast is served,
COME AND GET IT!