Chickens are animals that make a lot of noise. You can hear them making noise throughout the entire day. As for the morning hours, when most creatures are sleeping, why do chickens make noise?
So, why do chickens make noise in the morning? There are a few reasons why chickens make noise in the morning. This includes wanting to get out of the coop, they have laid an egg, or they are communicating with each other.
What Time Do Chickens Wake Up?
Typically, chickens will wake up when there is daylight. These animals are diurnal which means they are active during the day and sleep throughout the night.
During the summer, you may notice your chickens are making noise very early in the morning. In some places, it could be as early as 5 am. This can be annoying to you and your neighbor at such an early hour.
On the other hand, if it’s winter, your chickens will make noise later in the morning. During the winter, there won’t be daylight until 7 or 8 am.
What Do The Noises Mean?
Chickens make many different noises in the morning. Each noise has its own meaning which the chickens use to communicate with each other.
When it comes to making noises, roosters are known to be the nosiest ones. However, hens are known to be very vocal as well.
Below are some of the reasons for the different noises your chickens make.
Communicating With Each Other
Chickens will make noises to communicate with each other.
They will use sounds to express their feeling. This can include being happy, unhappy, threatened, or worried.
For humans, the sounds we hear from the chickens are similar to each other. For chickens, they are able to decipher the sounds and the meaning of it.
Egg Laying Noise
Once the hen lays an egg, she will make a very loud noise. It will almost be louder than a rooster crow.
The noise that the hen makes will be in a series of loud clucks and ‘bawks’. This will go on for several minutes or even longer.
Some hen will make this noise after the egg is laid, while others won’t. The noise is very distinctive, and you can tell the difference from other noise they make.
Hungry/Thirsty
If the coop isn’t opened in the morning, the chickens will start making noises. This noise could mean they are hungry or thirsty.
After all, the chickens have been in the coop sleeping for the past 8-10 hours. The first thing they do in the morning once they are out of the coop is drink water and forage for food.
Crowing Roosters
First thing in the morning, you may hear your rooster crow. This is a sound they make to let the flock knows it’s morning and time to head out the coop.
Unfortunately, there’s really nothing you can do about it since it’s part of what they do every morning.
Aggression
In the morning, if the coop door isn’t opened, the chickens may start to get aggravated. They’ve been in the coop where they are confined to a small area for a long time.
When they wake up in the morning, they like some space to move around. Sometimes, they will get frustrated due to the lack of space. The chickens will then start to get aggressive at each other.
Therefore, the sound you may hear in the coop in the morning is the chickens scuffling and trying to get out of the coop.
Ways to Reduce Noise In The Morning From Your Chickens
Sometimes the chickens can become a problem if you live in the city or close to your neighbors. Chickens are known to wake up earlier than most people.
Therefore, you’ll need to find a way to reduce the noise from your chickens in the morning.
Below are some of the solution to reduce the noise:
Let the chickens out of the coop early. To reduce the noise from your chickens, it’s best to let them out early in the morning. If you are not able to wake up in time or not around to open the coop for them, you should consider getting an automatic door opener. This will have a timer that you can set to let the door open and let the chicken out.
Insulate the coop. This method is good to reduce the noise while the chickens are in the coop. Make sure it has good ventilation to avoid suffocating your chickens.
Move the coop far away. If you start getting complaints from your neighbor, or it’s causing you to lose sleep, it’s best to move the coop far away. This only applies if you have a large yard. You can move the coop to the corner of the yard where it won’t be too loud when the chickens make noises.
Choose plastic chicken coop. A plastic coop will be made of plastic, which helps deaden the noise. This plastic coop from Omlet is what I recommend. Not only is it made from durable plastic, but it has insulated walls as well.
Conclusion
In the morning, chickens tend to make a lot of noise, especially if they are locked up in the coop. They will make noise that they are unhappy and want to go out of the coop. The noise can be difficult for some people since it usually occurs very early in the morning. Since it’s their nature to make noise in the morning, you’ll need to find a way to reduce the noise.
