Early morning, Weekday, 2010
My husband wake up for bathroom. I’m sensitive to sounds while sleeping so it’s not unusual to wake up by a slight noise. This morning wasn’t an exception. My eyes were still closed, my body was still relaxing in the warm bed, but my brain was aware of his move. My closed eyelids was feeling the sunlight. The sun was already up. I wondered if it was the time to wake up yet. I let my ears do the search. If it is, I will hear the noise of him getting ready for work soon. I don’t usually need an alarm to wake up. The sunlight, the noise of the wild birds and the household noise including neighbors’ car sounds wake me up in the morning. I can almost tell the time by feeling how rested my body feels in the morning.
My body felt still tired a little. Wishing it’s not time to wake up yet as I listened to the noise quietly. Wild birds were enjoying morning meeting on the tall tress. I heard my hens are chatting quietly in the coop too. I decided to lock my hens in the coop yesterday until our most chatty girl, named Twistie lays an egg because she can be too noisy in the morning when she lays. The loudest noise she makes worries me whether if it annoys our neighbors. Locking them in the coop calmed them well yesterday. I was happy with that idea. This morning, however, my worry come back.
Twistie got louder and louder. The sign of laying an egg. I heard my husband coming back to bed.
‘Chickens are making noise’, he said. His face showed bewilderment.
‘That’s the noise I was talking about on the weekend. Twistie is laying an egg. Can you check on her?’ I replied.
He went out in the yard and came back with an egg in his hand (with a big grin). Based on where it was laid, it’s definitely Twistie’s egg. She should settle now.
The noisy time was over today. My husband went out in the yard again to let them wander outside the coop. Then he snuggled back into the bed.
It must be earlier than our wake up time, I thought. He was not getting ready for work yet.
“What’s the time?” I asked.
“5.30am” The grumpy voice answered.
I agreed with his grumpiness. It’s a bit too early to get up for us.
Two hours later, one hen got a little chatty again.
Strange. I thought. Twistie’s noisy time isn’t due for another 24 hours.
I went out to the backyard to find out that the owner of the voice. Not Twistie. This time, it was the other hen, named Hops. I didn’t know that Hops makes loud noise too. My misjudgment. Hops was telling the world that she was ready to lay an egg. Twistie was quietly resting in the coop. I locked the both hens in the coop to reduce the sound. After a while, the sound finally got quiet, and an egg magically appeared in the nest box. It was from Hops. The noisy time is really over for the day.
I’ve got to do something about the noise before next due, which is tomorrow morning. I decided to try covering the coop with a couple of big towels, place food and water in the coop and allow only laid hens to come out from the coop. The coop itself isn’t small so they shouldn’t be too stressed about it. Does this all work? I don’t know. I’m just hoping it does. At least it works to soften the noise until an appropriate time that people wake up in the morning. Let’s see how we go…
I’m gonna need a nap today… I guess that’s a part of a sustainable living…
Grumpy mood hen owner
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