Any thoughts on "sound deadening" a run area? Stall mats maybe?

[Enjaytoo]

I'm trying to be proactive here, once spring comes and the male Goldens start "screechin" (and the cochin hens start the "egg songs"

well, I'm looking at ways to contain the hub-bub a little more. Mind you, Im not looking to to soundproof anything, just need ideas to deaden or reflect the sounds a little more. We are surrounded by a 6 foot block wall (cement) perimeter fence, and the runs are 6X12 chain link. I was thinking about getting the 4X6 Horse Stall mats, usually about 1 inch thick, and hanging/placing them around the sides (not at all air tight). Wondering if this would absorb some sounds or will it "escape" through the top or any open areas (and I figure this out after spending hundreds on un-needed stall mats

Any thoughts for the top? Acoustic panels? Foam panels? Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated; I have considered straw or hay bales but that wouldnt work in my application due to space consideration, overall look, etc etc.

 

[faykokoWV]

I would think cork board or panel foam/insulated sheathing would be a cheaper way to go. I guess it depends on what materials are cheaper where you are.
Is your run covered? covering the run could deaden the sound some too.

 

[Enjaytoo]

Thanks for your reply, the run is covered with chicken wire, and on top of that is bamboo/reed type fencing. Its pretty to look at but definitely doesnt contain any noise, I use it mostly for shade as I live in Arizona..

 

[Mr. Peepers]

Our rooster can be heard crowing from 200 yards even when he's locked up in the coop and the coop is screened by a thick border of trees and shrubs. Good luck on sound deadening!

A better approach may be to bribe all your close neighbors with eggs. Works for us.

 

[LynneP]

Is your climate dry enough to use pegboard, so that you have ventilation but the sound is baffled? It might have to be water-proofed before using, though. Louvred doors might work, too, and would give you the option of opening or closing them to create shade.

Curtain walls would be fabulous!

Apparently exterior soundproofing materials are available, not sure if the cost might be prohibitive

http://sensors-transducers.globalspec.com/Industrial-Directory/exterior_soundproofing

 

[Enjaytoo]

Thank you! I will check that link out...yes, its very dry here so that peg board may buffer a bit of the noise too but it is very thin so not sure...Anyone have any other ideas?

 

[Kiwibird]

How did your soundproofing work out, Enjaytoo? I'm about to try hay here, but I have read some solutions on another forum involving insulation batts, pegboard, carpet and so on. Friends live in an adobe house, and it is very soundproof, but I don't quite have time to build a clay coop right now. Quick solutions called for at present.

 

[Enjaytoo]

Quote:
Kiwibird, I'd love to read the other forums you found regarding soundproofing... So lets see, here is what I did, what worked and what didn't. I came up with the great idea of using Styrofoam panels (2 inches thick and 2 footX4 foot)...went out, bought a mess of them....figured I'd try this in one pen, kinda as an experiment of sorts. Then, I proceeded to carefully cover (and sew) each one with burlap....looked pretty good I though! I go for the "a la natural" look in my pens, so goodness knows I didnt want any ugly white Styrofoam lining the pens....and of course the birds pecking at it. So, I go though all this, very pleased with my work, and fully intending to baffle the top too. But I forgot about one little creature that can make my life heck. Roofies. Roof rats. Yes, those little monsters chewed through the burlap for no reason other than to annoy the pant off of me.

My neighborhood has alot of citrus, so even though I do not see many of the little demons anymore, some just stop by occasionally to irritate me. Anyway, I digress. I halted all Styrofoam panel production and pretty much gave up, other than lining the walls with plywood (not OSB) that I found in the cull section of the hardware store, and using about 2 inches of bark on the floor to absorb noise on the ground level. Doesnt really seem to work with the hens anyway, as they fly up over the plywood barrier to perch and "squeek" loudly at passing doves.

. A roof would help the noise to bounce back down I would think, but alas, see above about having anything on the roof. They chew anything.

I really think the Styrofoam was a great idea.....if you dont have the chance of a passing rodent.

 

[Kiwibird]

Hi Enjaytoo. Typing with one hand while on phone to ISP about broken e-mail service, so this will be brief.

Try this thread http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7955606&hilit=rooster

Also search that entire forum for soundproofing for other ideas. There are a few including housing a rooster in a car!!! Certainly thinking outside the square.

Rats are a pain. We have petsafe bait stations here.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

I really dont see how you could "desound" an open-air run, short of enclosing it.

I myself am going to try to use a tarp over 1/2 my run to Deflect sound.
I am also going to use acoustic ceiling tiles(like for T-bar ceailing) to line the inside of the henhouse, which should absorb most of the layin squawks, and provide decent insulation from heat/cold.

There is NO way to keep close neighbors from hearing a rooster, that I know of . . .


If you are going to buy styrofoam panels, go 1 step further and get the large, industrial type that are much heavier-duty and come in 4x8 sheets, 2" thick.
Find them near the insulation in HD or Lowes . . .

Who knows, if you build the walls HIGH enough, maybe they wont hear . . .

Its like a sound wall on the freeway, as long as you are BEHIND it, it works, but stick your head up over the top(even 100yds away from it) and you get the road noise.
So if you build high enough walls to deflect the sound straight upward, well over the neighbors house, it just might work.