Quiet is not a word we usually associate with chickens. Whether it’s roosters crowing or hens singing their egg songs, you can always expect some noise when you own chickens.
A loud chicken may not matter if you live out in the country but in the suburbs or within the city, even a loud hen will attract complaints from neighbors. Luckily, there are some chicken breeds that can keep the noise to a minimum.
A surprising number of the quietest breeds also happen to be the largest. Many are also good dual-purpose chickens that lay a good number of eggs.
There are breeds with less noisy roosters but even the quietest rooster’s crow is still too loud for some jurisdictions.
We give you a list of ten quiet chicken breeds that are well suited for suburbia and a few tips on how you can get them to stay even quieter.
Top 10 Quiet Chicken Breeds
Orpington Chicken
These fluffy chickens from England are one of the quietest breeds you’ll come across. Despite being one of the heaviest chicken breeds, these calm and friendly birds rarely make a fuss about anything.
The Buff Orpington is the most common variant of this breed, but you can also get white, black, splash, and blue Orpingtons. The bantam version of this breed retains its personality but comes in even more color varieties.
Orpingtons are dual-purpose chickens with hens that weigh around 8 pounds and are capable of laying 200 eggs in a year. They are also popular show birds.
Australorp
This is the Orpington’s Australian descendant and just like the Orpington, it doesn’t cause much of a racket in the backyard.
Australorps are smaller than Orpingtons but are still hefty birds with hens weighing around 6.5 pounds. There are three recognized plumage varieties i.e., black, white, and blue.
If you’re looking for a quiet layer, this breed is a good choice as it can produce around 250 eggs in a year. Australorps are just as friendly as Orpingtons, and they get along well with children and other similarly friendly chicken breeds.
Plymouth Rock
The Plymouth Rock chicken has been described as chatty but quiet so you’re unlikely to notice them as they go about their chicken activities in the backyard.
Once the most popular breed of chicken in the US, this sweet and friendly breed gets along well with people. They also make good pets because they like to follow farmers around and love attention.
Seven different plumage colors of Plymouth Rocks are recognized in the US, including the well-known Barred Rock. However, in Europe, there are now ten recognized color varieties of Plymouth Rock chickens.
Plymouth Rocks are great dual-purpose chickens because the hens can get up to 7.5 pounds while laying 200 eggs in a good year.
Rhode Island Red
Rhode Island Red hens are peaceful layers that often go broody. They have been described as loving and many farmers will attest to the fact that this is one of the quietest chicken breeds.
This breed can be polarizing because others also consider these chickens to be very aggressive, especially the roosters. It is recommended to go for the heritage lines and not lines that were developed for production to avoid aggressive individuals.
Rhode Island Red hens are some of the best layers among heritage breeds. They can lay as many as 300 eggs in a year and make good meat birds thanks to their 6-pound mature weight.
The plumage of heritage (non-industrial) lines of Rhode Island Reds is a deep red that tends towards black.
Cochin Chicken
Cochins are an absolute delight to have in your backyard. These chickens can get up to an impressive 11 pounds in weight and will remain the gentlest chickens you’ll come across.
Cochins are such a quiet breed that even the roosters don’t crow as often as other breeds. Aggression in male cochins is a rare thing and the breed is easy to tame.
Cochins are excellent exhibition birds but can also lay 150 to 200 eggs in a year. They also make excellent sitters as they go broody regularly; even the roosters sometimes go broody.
The size of Cochins means they require certain accommodations such as:
- Low perches
- Mud-free conditions in winter due to feathered feet.
- Limited access to food to prevent excessive weight gain.
Wyandotte
The Wyandotte is a calm breed that doesn’t startle easily. These chickens are also friendly towards humans and are quieter than some other breeds.
Having said that, they are also one of the chattier breeds, but many owners don’t seem to be bothered by these low-level noises.
Mature Wyandotte hens will weigh around 6.5 pounds and produce as many as 200 large eggs in a year. Despite their friendliness towards people, they are an assertive breed in the backyard and won’t let other birds pick on them.
There are nine APA-recognized color varieties of the Wyandotte in the US. In Europe, where the Wyandotte is also a popular show bird in some countries, there are 30 recognized color varieties of the breed.
Java
The Java is yet another large bird that doesn’t get too loud in the backyard. It is considered a good breed for children because they have a calm disposition and rarely get aggressive.
These slow-maturing birds can be kept for either meat or eggs. Hens weigh around 7.5 pounds when mature and can lay 150 to 180 large dark brown eggs in a year.
You can get your Java chickens with black, white, or mottled plumage today.
Java chickens won’t make a fuss if raised in confinement. However, they thrive in a free-range setting and will require a lot less feed compared to other breeds when allowed to forage.
Sussex
The calm and curious Sussex chicken might be a little chatty, but they are not a loud breed. They are friendly with a laidback attitude and make for great companions around the backyard.
Originally from the UK, the Sussex can be had in eight recognized color varieties including the famous Speckled Sussex.
Sussex chickens are a great choice for the suburbs if you want a good table bird because the hens weigh 7 pounds and produce as many as 250 large eggs in a year.
Sussex chickens in mixed flocks may get bullied by other assertive breeds so they may need extra protection.
Ameraucana
Ameraucanas are generally quiet birds but not the quietest birds you could have in your backyard. Some farmers have had Ameraucanas that are chattier than regular birds, but not necessarily louder.
The main appeal of these birds is their blue eggs. Some hens will lay as many as 200 eggs in one year.
Ameraucanas are a very friendly breed and get along well with people as seen in the video below.
Ameraucanas have a unique look including muffs, beards, and a pea comb. The American Standard of Perfection recognizes eight color variants of this breed.
Brahma
The Brahma is another giant breed of chicken that shows very little aggression. They are also one of the quietest birds you could add to your flock today.
Brahma chickens will mostly make soft clucking sounds as they willingly follow you around the backyard. They have been known to get louder when startled but that doesn’t happen often to these imposing chickens.
In the US, the dark, light, and buff Brahmas are the only recognized color variants of this breed.
The Brahma makes a great meat bird because the hens can weigh up to 9.9 pounds. They can also give you 200 eggs per year making this a well-rounded dual-purpose breed.
Their feathered feet may get frostbite if they get wet or muddy in winter. Their feathering also makes them prone to heat stress when raised in hot climates without enough shade.
Also Read: Largest Chicken Breeds
Are there Roosters that Don’t Crow?
There is no such thing as a rooster that doesn’t crow. However, there are some rooster breeds that crow less often than others, and others whose crows are not as loud as those of other breeds.
Some of the breeds on the list above are known to have quieter roosters, including the Cochin and the Brahma.
Seramas cockerels don’t crow as often as other breeds and when they do, their crows are not as loud. Seramas are also the smallest chicken breed and weigh less than 500 grams, so they are neither good for meat nor eggs.
Also Read: How To Stop A Rooster From Crowing
How to Make Your Chickens Less Noisy
Even the quietest chicken breeds will make noise from time to time. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get them to make just a little less noise.
Methods you can use to make your chickens less noisy include:
- Installing measures to keep your chickens out of reach of predators. Chickens will get very noisy if there’s a predator close by to alert each other.
- Keeping them comfortable. Chickens can get noisy if they don’t have what they need whether it’s food, water, warmth, or room to explore.
- Locate your coop in a place with less traffic. Something as simple as neighbors walking by on the other side of the fence could trigger a noisy panic in your coop.
Some farmers also recommend adding some insulation to your coop. It may not make the chickens less loud, but it can certainly make them harder to hear.
Read More: Rarest Chicken Breeds
Final Thoughts
Chickens make a wide range of noises as they go about their daily activities. If you live in close proximity to your neighbors, loud chickens can result in lots of disagreements.
Certain chicken breeds have been found to make a lot less noise than others. Many of these quiet chickens are also very friendly and are even recommended for families with children.
There is no such thing as a perfectly quiet chicken, and you can still expect a certain amount of noise from any breed. Additionally, even the quiet breeds will have some loud individuals.
As for roosters, you may get some that don’t crow as often or bantams with quieter crows. However, there is no such thing as a rooster that doesn’t crow.
There are also measures that you can take to make your flock less noisy and less likely to cause a commotion in the suburbs.
