[Kytie]

I'm very new to chicken keeping so maybe I'm being a tad dumb here but I was shocked to hear one of my girls making so much noise. I have three hens, 2 Polish bantams and one white star and it's her that makes all the noise. It's not all day thank goodness but at least once a day and she lets the neighbourhood know. No eggs yet, but they all appear healthy and happy, so I'm really wondering why she does this. The firstt ime it happened, I presummed she was upset as her two little pompoms were in the coop and she was in the run, so couldn't see them and they were ignoring her, she's top dog among the 3. But she's doing it now for no apparent reason. My main worry is that the neighbours will complain and we have to re-home her. Anyone got any idea why she does this, would there be any way I could keep her quiet? Just to add, they're usually quite quiet until she goes off on one. 

[joyfull]

some hens can be very noisy in fact far noisier than cockerels and not much that you can do to quieten them down.

[helens-hens]

If she's making the loud noise I think you mean (like cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, kaaaaaaaaah!, cluck, cluck etc) then I think there are probably several reasons while they do it. I have noticed mine do it if they find themselves alone and and something scares them and sometimes also if 1 is on their own while another is in the next box.

I don't think there is an awful lot you can do to stop it though I generally find that if I go out in the garden they will stop.

Try not to worry about the neighbours too much - as you say they don't do it all the time and there other noises like barking and cars etc which people have to put up with so I am sure they won't single you out and complain. If they have started laying you could always give a couple to the neighbours as a sort of peace offering!

[Kytie]

Thanks for your replies. I didn't really think there was anything I could do, she does go quiet when I go and see her, feel like I'm comforting a child.  ::)I was thinking along the same lines regarding noisyt dogs etc, just hoping, none of them decide to get nippy about it. As for the eggs, well they could have a long wait.