4-week-old Barred Rocks have REALLY watery poo?!

[giaan]

I have two 4-week-old chicks.

For the past few hours or so, their poo has consisted of mostly water. What's going on?!

EDIT: They've been constantly chirping and frantically pacing back and forth, trying to find a way out!

 

[klmclain1]

What are you feeding them? Have you given them treats - if so, what? Do you have other chickens?

 

[giaan]

I've been feeding them developer feed ever since I got them.

I just mixed in grit for the first time today. Their water supply is clean.

Now they're trying to fly out - they're really panicky right now! I don't understand why!

I didn't change anything in their diet at all. I've had them for a few days now and there's been no problems until the last few hours.

 

[klmclain1]

Do you have a red heat lamp on them? Do they have a way to get away from the heat?

 

[giaan]

I have no heat lamp. The temperature is the same, as always.

I sat down with them for a while and they calmed down - they even fell asleep.

Now they're acting up again. Could it be that they just want me to be there or something?

But then, why is their poo really watery all of a sudden?

 

[themadchicken]

how many chicks do you have and how big is the brooder?

 

[giaan]

I have two chicks and the brooder is about 22 inches height x 22 inches width x 36 inches diameter.

But that shouldn't matter, right? They've been in the same brooder for a while.

 

[themadchicken]

sorry fell asleep. i looked for info on your problem but couldnt find anything. are they doing any better?

 

[giaan]

They seem to be fine for the most part.

They always act up and excrete watery poo at around the same time at night, before I put them in a smaller cardboard box with better insulation, for sleeping.

It's around 60 degrees at that time - could it be that they're just cold?

I don't want to buy a heat lamp because I keep them in a polyester dog kennel in the house, and the material is highly flammable.

 

[yakibert]

I don't know if this is your case but ..maybe the liquid poo is ok. Any other kind of poo? I find that sometimes it's soft, sometimes harder.

Also, really starting at three weeks my chickens are excited to see me all the time, me, wife, daughter, or the dog - if they walk by, the chickens get excited. I also see them now racing around in the brooder ..flapping wings ...if I open the top of the brooder they fly up and perch on the rim ...it took them a good week til they were good at it, until then, they were poor (although mostly successful) attempts.