Silkies are known for their docile nature, elegant appearance, and motherly skills. But is there anything else you should know before you decide to add a couple of silkies to your coop? For example, do silkies make a lot of noise?
Do Silkies Make A Lot of Noise?
Silkie hens are not any louder than any other breed. However, the roosters have a habit of crowing at the worst time, making it hard to sleep hard or angering your neighbors.
Crowing is a natural part of owning chickens. However, there are some things you can do to control it or at least keep it at bay.
We’ll share what it sounds like and things you can do to control it. Hopefully, these tips will make it easier for you to own Silkies without angering your neighbors.
How Loud Are Silkie Roosters?
If you’re living in an urban area, you will need to know how loud silkies are. You don’t want to be receiving complaints when the rooster thinks it’s an excellent idea to crow at dawn.
That’s why it’d be a good idea to check your local laws that dictate the rules of owning roosters. It’s not allowed in many areas, and the reason is why you’re reading this article in the first place.
Silkie roosters aren’t nearly as loud as other species. Bantam chickens are some of the quietest chicken species! This obviously will do you no good when the sound of a crow awakens you, but it’s good to know you don’t own the loudest chicken out there.
The good news is some silkies rarely crow. You’d be lucky to own one of those.
Can a Silkie Hen Crow?
No, you do not imagine that your silkie hen just let out a crow. Although that’s weird, yes, silkie hens are capable of crowing. Hens of any chicken breed are perfectly capable of crowing, although that’s an infrequent occurrence.
It usually happens because the hen wants to compensate for the rooster’s absence. If you had a rooster for quite some time, and then he’s suddenly not there, there’s a chance the hen will proceed with his role.
It may also happen as a show of the pecking order, although that’s a rarer occurrence than the previously mentioned. It only occurs when the hen is at the flock’s pecking order’s top.
What Does A Silkies Crowing Sound Like?
If you never heard a silkie crowing before, you ought to know what to expect. Although silkie rooster’s crow loudly, they sound adorable and not at all as noisy as other species.
Their crows are a bit muffled, unlike those of a regular rooster. They also come out in a lower pitch.
Silkies’ crows sound more pleasant, but I don’t think anyone finds the sound of crowing pleasant.
Here’s a video of a rooster crowing and a hen talking, so you can get an idea of how loud they are.
Silkies’ crowing habits are the same as other species. They mostly do it at sunrise, but some of them do it more often throughout the day.
If you have multiple roosters in one coop, they’ll likely do it a couple of times a day. You may even come across two roosters throwing a crowing match!
Silkie roosters are typically not aggressive unless they feel threatened.
Do Silkie Hens Make A Lot of Noise?
Hens make several types of noises, but they are usually quiet. The only time hens get really loud is when they have laid an egg.
As you can see from the video, they make noises, but it’s a soft sound that won’t bother your neighbors. It’s not unusual to hear a broody chicken make a growling noise, especially if another chicken gets too close.
How to Keep Silkies’ Crowing at Bay
If you’re annoyed by how often your silkie rooster is crowing, there are a couple of things you can do to prevent the frequency of it.
If you live in an urban area, you may wake up to find a couple of complaint notes in your mailbox, and it’s not going to be pretty dealing with it.
Plus, roosters mostly crow to show who’s in charge, and unless you get rid of the rooster, the crowing isn’t going to end anytime soon.
Here are some things you can do to keep your silkie’s crowing at bay.
Get a Rooster Collar
Getting a rooster collar is the most popular solution to lower the crowing sound. You can get it online or at any pet shop. All you’ll have to do is fasten it around the rooster’s neck. It won’t eliminate the sound of crowing, but it’ll muffle it enough so that it’s not too loud or noisy.
If you’re worried about hurting the rooster, don’t. The collar is safe and won’t shock the chicken. The purpose of the collar is to make the noise quieter.
This option works well if you live in the city, and your neighbors are compaining about the noise.
Limit the Number of Roosters in the Coop
If you have too many silkie roosters in the coop to opt for the collar solution, you can go for more definitive solutions. I know saying goodbye to a couple of roosters may not be easy, but it’ll make the coop a lot quieter.
You won’t have to wake up to the sound of loud crowing anymore.
Having a large number of roosters will inevitably cause them to fight each other. Silkies aren’t among the aggressive species, so they won’t hit or peck at each other.
Instead, they’ll keep crowing as a show of dominance. Also, when one rooster crows, the rest will follow, and all hell will break loose!
Increase the Number of Silkie Hens
As opposed to roosters, hens don’t make much noise. They’re much quieter, and they’ll keep the rooster busy, which will stop him from crowing midday.
Increasing the number of hens in the coop will give your rooster more work to do. You don’t need to have roosters for hens to lay eggs. Unless you’re trying to breed, hens will be fine without roosters!
He’ll likely get busy with organizing the hens and stop crowing. A lot of roosters crow out of boredom, so that’s a suitable solution for similar cases.
Like people, chickens can get bored. It’s up to you to find ways to keep them stimulated, so they stay out of trouble and keep quiet.
Make Sure You’re Feeding the Roosters Well
If you’re not feeding your rooster enough, it may very well be the reason he’s crowing more than the usual. Eating keeps the roosters busy, and they also spend a lot of time giving it to the hens.
So, make sure they have sufficient amounts of food, so they’ll cut down on the crowing.
Keep the Surrounding Environment Calm
Anything that annoys the silkie roosters will get them to crow and make noise. If you bring strangers over to the coop, the chickens will get stressed, and it may cause a spike in their crowing habits. On top of that, new animals could trigger the crowing.
Silkies are quiet by nature, so they prefer the surrounding environment to be calm as well. Any newcomer to the coop will cause them to start a crowing match.
Install a Fence
If you can’t do anything to stop the crowing, there’s one last resort: a fence. You can opt for this solution if your roosters aren’t willing to stop making a lot of noise.
The fence will muffle the sounds so that the neighbors won’t hear the sound as clearly.
It will also mean you’ll get a better night’s sleep. The crowing’s sound will deflect on the fence and stay in the coop instead of reaching inside your house.
There’s another closely related option, sound-proofing the coop, but it’ll cost you a lot.
Plus, you must take care of the ventilation as well, which may require a professional consultation.
Don’t Open the Coop Door at Night
One solution to the crowing issue is keeping the silkie roosters inside the coop until the morning. You can wait until 8 am before you open the doors. That way, the sounds will be muffled, thanks to the coop walls.
Just remember, you never want to leave your chickens locked in the coop all day. They need to roam around and forage for bugs, grass, etc.
Closing Thoughts
The male Silkies are the loudest compared to the hens. Crowing is an essential part of every rooster’s life cycle, so you might as well be prepared for it.
Thankfully, a Silkies’ crowing isn’t as annoying as other species, and it doesn’t happen as frequently.
If you adjust your rooster’s habits, it shouldn’t be a big problem.
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