I have 3 chickens, all nearly a year old. We’ve recently moved from the countryside with an acre of land to a smaller town house with a very average sized garden and bungalows on every side of the garden. I have now realised that one of our chickens is really, really bloody noisy. When she comes down in the morning she’s shouting almost like a cockerel for a good hour, she does some kind of weird scream the whole time she is laying (about 90 minutes), whenever one of the other chickens are laying she runs around yelling and shrieking.
She’s a lot quieter when she’s free to roam the garden, but there’s no way of making our garden secure so I has enough to be out there with them when they’re out. The neighbours are being very tolerant so far but I really need to do something.
I’ve read online about spraying them with water to train them when they make noise. She’s noisiest when laying and I couldn’t spray her when she’s laying as tha seems particularly cruel. Has anyone tried training them to shut up? Or has anyone got any other tips? I think she’s going to have to go in the pot if she carries on as she is.
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Training a chicken to stfu
MrsJacksonBrodieTheSecond · 07/06/2018 13:18
I usually give my some nice bits to peck at for distraction-yes all mine shout when they lay,its ridiculous!
Greens tied up so they have to peack,mealworms scattered and the odd apple .
You would think they would keep quiet
Sorry but she sounds adorable 
I'd love to live next door to her!
Sorry but she sounds adorable I'd love to live next door to her!
I was thinking that too
Actually, I know this isn't the point, but this thread does pretty much answer my perennial chicken question – 'Do only cockerels crow?'
So I guess females don't crow per se, but are capable of being pretty much as noisy.
I know it’s daft but I hadn’t considered doing that 
. The run is attached to the bedroom bit so I just let them put themselves to bed and then get up when they’re ready - even in the winter. I didn’t realise shutting the bedroom door was the done thing!
I’ve shut them in tonight though. It’ll be interesting to see how much noise she can make when she’s got the door shut. Do you think I can shut the door on her when she’s actually laying? That’s the time she’s noisiest. I work from home most days so I can shut the door when she goes in then let her out a bit later on. Or would being in complete darkness interrupt the laying process?
They’re my first hens, as you may be able to guess!
Hens are always shut in at night to keep them safe from foxes but also it gets very cold and draughty in the Winter and they can get frostbite on their combs .
If its very hot in the summer I leave open so they dont overheat but Ive never heard of leaving them open all year round 
Are they in a small Eglu and run?
Im afraid despite what the manufacturer says they are way to small -she sounds like she is shouting as she is frustrated .
Maybe keep locked up until 7.30 and then she will be busy eating and drinking for an hour or so .
darling I was a bit that they returned the eggs! I’ve spoken to them all and they’ve all said it’s nice to hear chickens. I’ve also heard the people in the bungalow right next to the run loudly complaining about them (I don’t think they knew I could hear). I’ve told them I’m working on it and if she doesn’t learn to be quiet soon I’ll get rid, not sure what else I can do.
Our chickens also like to make sure the whole world knows that they’re laying an egg. They also like to walk round the bloody kitchen and tell everyone just in case you hadn’t heard . No advice with regard to training them sadly- think it’s just a thing they do! I think it’s weird you had a box of eggs returned with no note or anything. Fair enough if they don’t eat eggs or don’t want them, but they could at least have told you which house they were from and that they wouldn’t like any more. Weird.
@blueeyedbengal we’re they Clarence Court ones by any chance? And a lovely pale blue? They are from old Cotswold Legbars I believe but Cream Legbars also lay pale blue eggs. Nice eggs but the birds themselves are pretty dull to look at (IMHO-sorry girls!). We have Araucanas instead which also lay blue/green eggs. They also have adorable fluffy feathers on their heads and are a very friendly bird and don’t seem exceptionally prone to shouting about their egg laying habits! We have black, white and Lavender ones and the white one produces lovely pale blue double yolkers in the middle of the laying season!
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So many choices of chickens🐥. I have a good idea of what to get , just want my ladies to stand out a little
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