[Beano]

One of our chickens is wide awake at around 7.15am which is very early this time of year. It's still dark but she shouts at the top of her voice in the coop. We leave for work at around 7.35am and we have to open the hatch and put water and feed, out for them before we go. They are in a large enclosed run and safe from predators but they wonder out in the dark.
I'd have thought that they would stay in the coop (asleep) until it got a bit lighter. The noisy one manages to wake all the others up.
Is this normal?
She is a new chicken this year and the only one that is still laying but I'm dreading the Summer if she's like this now.
I had a problem with one of the others crowing very early in the Summer and put a carpet over the vent for a few mornings until she stopped but I'm not keen on covering vents, especially in the Winter.
Any suggestions or answers would be appreciated.

[orchardlady]

I think your birds are just plain normal hens. I often hear my cockerel crowing early in the morning well before it's light. The hens tend to be quieter but that I'm sure is because the boy is doing the noise thing for everyone they start to make noise when they hear me rattling around with feed buckets etc. They will start making noise around or just before dawn whatever time of year it is so very very early in the Summer.

OL

[Beano]

Thanks orchardlady. The three older chickens used to enjoy a lie-in in the morning until these two youngsters joined them.
Because I had the three of them at at-least two years old, I got used to older chickens.
The two youngsters are much more active, much noisier and obviously wake up much earlier.

[darkbrowneggs]

I think your birds are just plain normal hens. I often hear my cockerel crowing early in the morning well before it's light. The hens tend to be quieter but that I'm sure is because the boy is doing the noise thing for everyone they start to make noise when they hear me rattling around with feed buckets etc. They will start making noise around or just before dawn whatever time of year it is so very very early in the Summer.

OL

To get up at "cock crow" means to rise before dawn, as the cockerels crow before dawn - and always have done.

All the best
Sue

[Beano]

as the cockerels crow before dawn

But we dont have any cockerels, only an old chicken that thinks she's a cockereljavascript:replaceText('%20:blush:',%20document.forms.postmodify.message); and she's quiet before dawn.
I still think it's odd that they come out of the coop while it's still dark.

[Beano]

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Apologies: dont know what happened there. It was supposed to be a smiley face

[sneezer]

Yep mine are awake and ready to go at 7am, if I'm late than the squarking gets quite loud!!!

[darkbrowneggs]

Sometimes if it is an all girl group, one of them will take on the roll of the male, so perhaps that is why the one is being extra noisy

Sue

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

Do you think she may be laying early and telling the world about it?

Or perhaps it is like others have said and they are just itching to get outside.  I know my lot complain like crazy if we're late letting them out and then it's a feathery starburst when the coop door is opened!

[evie2]

Our girls are up and out by 6.30 and when we had cockerels, they crowed before 3am in the summer

[dennis]

my girls are making a noise now about 7 just befor light as it seems a lot of others are doing the same thing it must be what comes naturally to them its not their falt we all sleep in till day light 
a 3aclock wake up call is getting closer
darkbrowneggs   those eggs look good what hen lays those they look like chocolate eggs

[darkbrowneggs]

Thanks dennis - they are from my traditional English Cuckoo Marans. 

If you click on the little blue icon of the world just below the photos of the eggs in mya avatar  you should get to my website where there is lots of information about the breed and photos of my birds and their eggs

All the best
Sue

[tobert51]

Hello everyone, just joined the forum tonight.  I have 5 hens, I bought them at the end of June 2010 and was told they were 14 weeks old, though suspect that was a bit generous, they looked younger.  Anyway, mine want out at 7am, I am still getting 2-3 eggs almost every day (though the two leghorns don't seem to have started laying yet) and they almost kick the door down once I turn the catch.  They burst out and wander around shouting following my torch light.  I throw them some scratch corn, check their water and leave their feeders out with their pellets, and go to work and that's them until about 4.30 pm when they go back into hen house. By the time I get home it's nearly 6pm and when I go to close their house up the marans (Janet) comes out for a chat.  At the moment they are in a large coop with hen house in the middle until we secure the garden properly (we live in the country, have 5 dogs and also there are plenty of foxes about) those leghorns are very naughty and if they can get through a space they will lead the other girls into trouble.

[Beano]

Hi, the replies have been reassuring and some very funny.
Foghorn, the other newbe will be noisy if she wants to lay in the morning, because the older three sleep in the nesboxes but this one is noisy every morning egg or not.
tobert51,

they almost kick the door down once I turn the catch.

I laughed when I read that. I can imagine leghorns doing just that. I've taken a fancy to leghorns but they are very skittish and tend to fly over fences and up into trees, but I will have some one day, they are such characters.
Those are lovely looking eggs darkbrowneggs. They would look good in the mix of green, khaki and white eggs we get.

[jinty1911]

Thanks dennis - they are from my traditional English Cuckoo Marans. 

If you click on the little blue icon of the world just below the photos of the eggs in mya avatar  you should get to my website where there is lots of information about the breed and photos of my birds and their eggs

All the best
Sue

Have just visited your site and it is very informative and interesting. Fancy hatching a few of your Marens now.  The eggs are an amazing colour