[tosca100]

Hi Again

Spoken to the neighbours and things seem OK for getting  a couple of hens. Understandably their only concern is noise and not being woken up at 5am.

We intend to buy a house/run and have 3 hens (no cockerel) which will be given supervised access to the main garden (20' x 30') fully enclosed by a 6' high panel fence.

Tried checking out websites and even checked out video footage on You Tube, but the whole subject at the moment seems to be a complete minefield and after speaking to the neighbours don't want to upset them straight away.

In your experience can anyone give us advice as to what breeds are quiet breeds and potential egg yields.

Many thanks

Mr Tosca

[tstainesmoore]

It sounds as if you may well be new to keeping chicken, so therefore i would advise you getting some hybrids such as sussex stars, bluebells, black rocks this is becuase they are very good egg layers and are easy to keep first chickens. If you wanted something different such as a pure breed i would suggest welsummers or light sussex. Hope this helps.

[ANHBUC]

I have 2 goldlines, 4 Black Rocks and 2 Partridge Wyandotte Bantams.  All of them can be noisey after laying letting everyone know how clever they are.  Some more than others but don't think it is down to breed.  My neighbours have said they like the sound. 

I have fallen for my new Bantams and they are not as destructive in the garden.  Smaller eggs and not as many as a hybrid but you should get enough off 3 birds.  If I were starting all over again I would definately go for a Bantam.  I do love my other hens but they are like giants compared to my Wyandottes.   

Difficult choice, so best to go and see as many breeds as you can.  Make sure you leave your wallet at home each time so you aren't tempted to buy the first feathery thing you see.      

[JACDORE]

pmsl at ANHBUC, leave your wallet at home when your looking, gosh, I know exactly what you mean and that is the best bit of advice going, pmsl.

Yes I loved having Black Rocks and Rhode Island Reds as my first girls into keeping chickens.  I too and my neighbours so they tell me, love that "I'm so cocky, I've laid an egg" noise.

Whatever you decide, you will get ADDICTED to beware.  Good luck and let us know how you get on 

[helens-hens]

I have a couple of rhode rocks type hybrids (very like black rocks) and they do have a tendency to be noisy if they want to free range in the garden (they can only free range when I am there). I have also read this so it must be a bit of a trait with them.

Some breeds are better suited to be enclosed in runs than others so it is worth doing a bit of homework first.

Good luck, you won't regret it!

[JaK]

My buff orpington and gold brahma's are the quiet ones out of my lot. The Brahma's arn't the best layers though.  I have read quite a bit about orpingtons not being great layers but I've got to say that mine seem to lay very well. The buff orpington lays about 5 or 6 large eggs a week.

[Richard S]

We started with 2 speckeldy hybrids, a Rhode Island Red (now unfortunately passed on), and a copper star - none of them make much noise at all, unless there is an unwelcome cat in the garden - certainly none of the neighbours have complained after a year and a half!

[chookboy]

We started with 3 ex-batts (Prudence, Purdey & Pearl) from BHWT, who have since passed away - no bother at all, but never got into the whole laying aan egg thing!
We then got a white leghorn (Pacha) (now I know where the cartoon Foghorn Leghorn got his name) - she is a FANTASTIC layer of large white eggs - surprising that she lays such large eggs for such a slight hen. Along with her, we got a Miss Pepperpot (Pepperpot) - lovely temperament and quite a good layer - unfortunately, she suddenly died one night, leaving Pacha(gobshite) on her own.
We went and got  a blue haze (Pumpkin) and a speckeldy (Pie) who are both OK layers - Pumpkin is quite a large girl, and Pie is quiet.
Two weeks later, OH suggests that girls will be cold in the winter, so along come 3 more ex-batts (Paloma, Piper and Peach).

So, now we have 6! We are currently getting 4-6 eggs every day. Pacha, the white foghorn has only not laid on about 3 or 4 days since last summer! All of the girls sing the egg song - I believe that happens no matter the breed.

My advice to anyone starting out, and I am no expert - rehome some ex-batts. They may not lay as many eggs as a younger bird, but they have excellent temperament, they REALLY appreciate the newfound freedom, and it is fantastic to see their feathers grow back.

If your not too worried about noise and enjoy a lot of large white eggs, I love my noisy white leghorn (I also love the other 5 as well) Would love to have a buff orpington, and cant remember the breeds, but we've got 2 more coming in August, who lay blue eggs..

Whatever you decide, good luck, and no doubt you'll really enjoy them
 - oh yeah, best advice though, if you're getting 3 hens, make sure your coop is big enough for 6-8 I'm currently extending our coop for the second time in 18 months!!! Did you know 6 is the new 3?

[tosca100]

Chookboy, well written, we have just had a good giggle. Very informative too.

OH fancies all the orpingtons, but I would rather have smaller and more of them (six being the new three!) Not too worried about temperament, OH works with exotic fowl of various types so not much fazes him, they tend to be really neurotic. Am I right in thinking that most eggs are laid during the morning? If so, the "announcement" is not going to bother anyone. Ordinary chicken chatter is no problem, and alarm calls are part of life....the blackbirds are good at that! The only thing we are worried about is that when we let the dogs out at 3,30 it might set them off and wake the neighbours. If that happens we will have to give up some of my small veg plot.

If I had more space I would get a load of ex-batts but as space is limited, I really want something which will give some eggs over a few years, rather than a lot over a short time. We'll steer clear of "foghorns" though!

[splash101]

I also have Rhode Rocks - mine are very quiet (with the exception of the egg call or when the heron flies over at low level, but thats over and done with in minutes and then you dont hear from them from the rest of the day).
Really good egg layers. They also haven't ravaged the garden like the bigger breeds i had.
I have also had hybrids and Rhode island reds. The R.I.R's were significantly bigger than the Rhode Rocks and much louder. (in my opinion not excesively loud, just louder than the rockies) Egg sizes were the same despite to difference in bird size

im no expert but i wonder if certain breeds are generally noisier than others or would it depend on the individual bird
my neighbour had bantums, including a cockerel and in 2 years we never heard him once (who would be that lucky eh?)

I dont think letting the dogs out would set them off, i wander up and down the garden at all hours and my OH goes to work at 4.45am and that doesnt set them off.
I think if you let your dogs out they would hold their breaths, pretend to not be there, cross their toes and hope it's not a fox

And Chookboy, i think it must be a trait with chicken owners as we have also extended once and have already had the conversation........."you know what we should have done"
(but thats another project for another day)

[chookboy]

I dont think letting the dogs out would set them off, i wander up and down the garden at all hours and my OH goes to work at 4.45am and that doesnt set them off.
I think if you let your dogs out they would hold their breaths, pretend to not be there, cross their toes and hope it's not a fox

Letting our dogs (spaniels) out at night does not worry them - once they have gone to bed, that is it until the morning.

And Chookboy, i think it must be a trait with chicken owners as we have also extended once and have already had the conversation........."you know what we should have done"
(but thats another project for another day)

Exactly why I said it was the best advice I could give - it seems everyone who doesn't initially house there girls in a shed (or similar) goes through the same process!

ps - with August not far away, 8 is now the new 3 (One of the breeds of blue-egg layers to arrive is Ameraucana - the hatchery has 6 breeds which lay blue, but they are special order and only get hatched once a year in April. Will see what the family think of blue shelled eggs when the girls have had beetroot )

[ANHBUC]

Am I right in thinking that most eggs are laid during the morning? If so, the "announcement" is not going to bother anyone. Ordinary chicken chatter is no problem, and alarm calls are part of life....the blackbirds are good at that!

Their laying time varies from day to day as the egg takes around 26 hours to form.  They start laying early morning and it gets later in the day until they miss a day and then lay early the next day. 

We had seagulls calling this morning as it was a little misty, now that is an annoying sound!