Chickens are the most extensively studied and researched birds among all animal and bird species.
Chickens are vocal birds, which is normal, but each vocal is, for some reason, and means differently.
You can tell whether they are having sophisticated gossip, happy, unhappy, worried, or frightened or even when they’re curious by their different voices.
This article will primarily focus on their behavior chickens making noise at night
It’s Normal To Be Noisy In The Morning.
Chicken keepers know their flock is pretty noisy, particularly in the morning compared to the rest of the day.
They might be noisy for different reasons.
- A rooster crows, anticipating the dawn, which is instinctive.
- Hens might make noise because they communicate with each other in their way.
- A hen might have laid an egg. They feel so proud of what they’ve done that they want to announce it to the world.
- They simply want to get out of the coop for food and become aggressive because of being confined for longer.
Usually, chickens are calm at night.
They do not make a noise and like to sleep quietly.
There must be something unusual when a chicken would be forced to make a noise at night.
Read on to know the reasons behind this abnormal behavior of the chickens.
What Does It Mean When Chickens Make Noise At Night?
Unique sounds of chickens
Chickens can make over two dozen unique noises to express their different emotions.
For instance,
- They are pretty rambunctiously loud in the morning, but this is their way of communication with each other after getting freedom from the confines of their coop.
- They cackle for quite some time before and after laying an egg.
- Broody hens growl at you like a dog, telling you to stay away from her and the eggs.
- Sometimes you will hear them murmuring happily while enjoying foraging or having a dust bath.
- While interacting with the chicks, mother hens cluck and furr to acclimate the chicks to her voice even before they are hatched.
- Hens with chicks will cackle more aggressively when a predator bird threatens them or perceive the presence of a cat or dog to alert the other hens from getting attacked.
These and dozens of similar sounds are common among all species of hens.
Chickens are not noisy at night except for unusual incidents; otherwise they stay calm and peaceful.
Although, cooing or burbling is quite normal before going to bed.
Still, if you are dealing with a constantly noisy flock, read on to find the legitimate solution to your problem.
Some of the possible reasons for chickens making noise at night are:
Falling off the roost bar.
Hens may fall off the roost bar or push the other sleeping hen while trying to grip firmer on the roost or change its posture.
If a hen falls, the others will also get scared, firstly because of the deep sleep and secondly because of the darkness as they don’t do well in the dark.
In such a situation, hens may make a noise, and then hopefully they will be silent shortly.
Bugs and mosquitoes
Having mites or mosquitoes in your coop is a real problem.
Mites can stick to the hens while on the ground during the day, making them restless at night.
Hens will constantly be moving and scratching themselves to eliminate the biting mites and buzzing mosquitoes.
Other hens will also be disturbed and probably make noises during the night
Predator Nearby
Chickens can make noises perceiving a predator around.
For example, if one of the chickens sees a cat peeking through the window or ventilators, it might make a loud noise.
This noise works as a danger alarm to wake up the other hens to the potential approaching threat.
Soon they all will start loudly to inform the owner to save them.
It’s a distressed call — I guess it’s a “call for help,”
Rooster is the king
Roosters naturally protect their hens, and roosting in the middle of the night could mean alerting them of a potential threat.
They are the kings, and they roost when they feel like it.
You cannot stop them from roosting even in the middle of the night.
Bullying chickens
One of the least endearing qualities of the hens is bullying.
Yes, not everything’s good in their world.
Hens and especially roosters may bully a new member of the flock.
They would never spare them, even at night.
They somehow can recognize each other even in the darkness and keep pecking each other.
Okay so we know why they make noise during the night
How about we go through how you can keep them quiet
How Do You Keep Chickens Quiet At Aight?
Hens are pretty noisy during the daytime but silent at night. They do not make noise in vain. If you have a proper coop for the hens, equipped with all the necessities and high roost bars to satisfy your flock, you will never have to worry about noise at night.
Still, if some of your hens are behaving noisily at night, find out the reason for their distress and deal with it accordingly.
- Check out if they are sick.
- Maybe the roosting bar isn’t enough for your flock, and hens keep falling off the roost bar trying to adjust.
- Make sure that they are safe from predator cats. Predator cats can scare them by peeking through the window. They would growl at the hens out of despair of being unable to catch them.
- Spray the pesticides in your coop regularly and keep it clean and free from rats, mites, mosquitos, etc.
- Make sure your hens are not hungry before bed at night because they will not be able to sleep restfully out of hunger or thirst.
What Does It Mean When Chickens Squawk Loudly?
Chickens know well how to express their feelings.
They understand what coop chattering means, how to chatter with their young chicks, and how to announce when they’re happy, scared or curious.
Usually, hens are very loud in the morning because they are hungry and excited to have breakfast.
Hens squawk pretty loudly out of stress in the presence of a predator nearby.
Hens with little chicks can go even more aggressive, perceiving a threat from a flying predator or cats.
Hens also make a loud noise to protest against something they’re not happy with.
How Do You Stop a Rooster From Crowing At Night?
Nothing could be more stressful than a rooster crowing in the middle of the night, especially when you’re in deep sleep!
This is ingrained in the roosters; they crow to show their grace and take pride in protecting the hens.
Nothing can stop them.
But roosters usually begin crowing to pre-announce the approaching dawn.
Once it feels the urge, it decides to crow; no matter what, it definitely will! And that too at the top of its lungs!
Street lights — Street lights may confuse a rooster, and it can mistake it for dawn. You can deal with it efficiently by hanging the curtains on the windows of the coop and turning off the lights in the surroundings of the coop.
Threat alert — Roosters can crow at night if they feel a potential danger approaching their coop.
Sometimes a rooster crows, and the other roosters crows in response to it.
Secure Coop — Make sure to secure the coop enough that cats and predators such as hawks, owls or eagles can not scare your flock. It will help you tackle the restlessness because of a noisy flock.
Wrapping Up
Chickens are noisy birds during the day and express their feelings through diverse vocalizations.
They are usually quiet at night though they can be noisy at night
They’re not noisy just for the sake of it
There are possible reasons which has been discussed in this article
Understanding what is causing your chickens to make noise at night will help you deal with the situation better and hopefully put a stop to it.
That way you can get a peaceful sleep at night!