Morning noise annoying the neighbours

[RebsChooks]

hello, fellow chicken-keeping people, please help!

My chickens are in a coop/run on the side of our house, which is close to being under our neighbour’s bedroom window. My girls are rather noisy in the morning. If they are let out of the coop into the run, they still make a long kind of caw-caw-caw noise that is quite loud. They want to come into the garden. If I leave them in the coop until about 7am they still do it because they want out of the coop.

I have worried and stressed about this noise, but hoped they just sleep through it next door. But I had it confirmed this morning when they slammed their bedroom window shut.

If I close off more gaps in the coop (not the ventilation, obviously) and tape over the little Perspex window so that it is darker in there, might that keep them more quiet?

What do others do about this problem?

 

[RWise]

Would moving the coop away from their window be possible?
Some of my girls a noisy as well,,,

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

The only surefire way is moving the coop, I'm afraid. Sorry about the neighbor issue.

 

[AnimalGeek23]

X2 to replies above.
I’m sorry to hear your neighbors not don’t enjoy your chicken’s squawking, and if it’s possible you might want to move your coop to the other side of the house. The sound will get muffled if blocked by a house.

 

[Dona Worry]

Give your neighbors a delicious egg-based treat, and just ASK if the noise bothers them. It may be they are sensible types who don't mind working around a little noise for the sake of neighborhood peace.

 

[RebsChooks]

Moving the coop is not possible unfortunately. The space is only on one side of our house. We could in theory move it further along the garden but it would mean having no grassed area plus it is a small garden and would make minimal difference anyway.

Is having the coop darker not likely to quieten them? Or am I dreaming?

 

[varidgerunner]

If you can't move the coop, either get rid of your neighbors or get rid of your chickens. Another option would be to try tending your poultry without clothes on. If you look anything like me they should move. If you are attractive, they might overlook the noise.

 

[kklowell]

It sounds like you live in town. Perhaps you should have discussed the possibiiity of getting chickens with your neighbors before you got them. Chickens are noisy...mine are fifty feet from my house and I can hear them most of the time. If one lays an egg I can REALLY hear them. Henry, my roo, is another story as he fires up about 3:30 am and is very vocal.
How many do you have? How old are they? Perhaps if you give that neighbor eggs they'll better tolerate the noise?

 

[GC-Raptor]

Sealing cracks won't stop the noise.
My coop is about 30 feet from my house. Even with insulated walls, windows closed. I can hear my hens squawk when they lay an egg or when a hawk flies over.

Luckily my hens don't squawk wanting out of the pen. I have a 500 square foot pen with straw covering most of it. I toss seeds over the straw twice a day so they have to scratch and peck to find it. That's what they love to do and keeps them busy. .
I let them out of the coop at 5am daily , and scatter the seeds at that time and again at 9am.
Keeps them busy till I let them out to Free Range an hour before sunset daily.

If you could let them into the garden at sunrise could be a solution or build a larger pen with straw, leaves or shavings a couple of inches deep and scatter scratch or seeds over top and give them access at sunrise.

Chickens can be noisy if cooped up or crowded during the day. GC

 

[RebsChooks]

Mine come out of their run around midday every day, and free range in the garden all day.

KKlowell... we had chickens years ago before we had children and they did announce eggs but they were not noisy in the morning to be let out. Our neighbours work during the day so we did not think it would be a problem and didn’t think it needed discussing with the neighbour. Plus what would we have done if they said they weren’t keen?!

I don’t know why our new girls are so noisy.

I read online today that music played in the coop can help so I am going to get a little battery clock radio that can play music to them until we get up (8am latest). Worth a try for a fiver and some batteries ongoing?!