Backyard Fowl Keepers

Hi everyone,

I have four hens, but one of them is loud, bossy, and sometimes aggressive.
The noise is becoming a problem, and I’m worried my neighbors might complain.
If I rehome the noisy hen, will it solve the issue?
Or will another hen take her place as the loud one?
Would keeping just my two quieter hens help?
Any advice from those with experience would be really appreciated
Thanks!

Rehoming the noisy hen might help, but there’s always a chance another hen could step into her role. Chickens naturally establish a pecking order, so noise can sometimes be part of the process.

I rehomed a loud hen once, and it made a huge difference! The remaining hens adjusted quickly and stayed much quieter afterward.

Sometimes a smaller flock is quieter, especially if you keep only the calmest hens. Just be ready for some adjustment as they re-establish their pecking order.

It might help to try separating her temporarily before rehoming to see if the others become noisier.
That way, you’ll know if removing her will make a difference.

If the noisy hen is the clear troublemaker, removing her could reduce the chaos.
Downsizing to your quietest hens is a good plan if you want a calmer flock.

If you reduce the flock size, it could help decrease the noise, but keep in mind that the dominant hen may still make noise even in a smaller group. If the issue is mostly aggression, a quieter setup or more routine might calm things down.

Rehoming the noisy hen might help, but sometimes another hen can take over the leadership role and start being loud as well. It really depends on the dynamics of your flock.

I'd recommend monitoring the flock's behavior for a while before deciding. If the aggressive behavior is stemming from one hen, rehoming her might solve the issue, but if it's a group behavior, then a different solution might be needed.

You might want to try something like adding a rooster in the mix. This can sometimes balance out the dynamics in the flock and calm down some of the aggressive behavior. But, of course, that depends on your local regulations regarding roosters.