Chick won’t STOP CHIRPING!!

[SuperC]

I’m trying to not lose my mind with one of my Chicks- she WONT STOP CHIRPING! This isn’t a little peeping like all her brooder mates, this an almost a “help me” peep, but she doesn’t need any kind of help. It’s a “louder than the rest, if a strobe light had a sound it would be this peeping” kind of peep. You know those little plastic chick toys that you hold on your hand that makes an electrical connection and chirps at you? Yeah, sounds almost exactally like that (& just as loud). And she’s been doing it every day since we got her (a week ago). What is wrong? What can I do to make her stop?

A few info bits about her:
-1.5 week old Orpington (as well as her 5 other cage mates )
-she is eating, drinking, snacking, scratching, sleeping and acting just like the others. She’s growing at pace with all the others and getting feathers on schedule and all of them are healthy (no pasty butt or even a sneeze!)
-not being bulled or picked on (she’s actually number 3 in the pecking order, but none of them are actually pushy).
- we have a Brinsea heat plate they sleep under- and we use a dim nightlight in the room for bedtime & we slowly brighten and darken the room with the suns schedule so they have as regular a schedule as we can give them. So she’s not sleep deprived or forced under a 24/7 brooder light (& I also have a night vision baby monitor on them at night and can see they are getting lots of sleep).
- she’s gets just as much love and cuddles as the rest of them, all the attention she wants (we pick her up and hold her when she runs to us, and put her back when she indicates she has had enough). I give them all equal love and one on one time and she’s always happy to be held, but we put her down when she wants it.
- she’s brave- none of them are afraid, but she’s is the first to investigate something new.

So basically, she’s a happy, well cared for chick, but she just won’t stop the noise. And when I’ve taken her to another room for cuddles, it’s amazing how quiet and gentle the brooder sounds with just the other chicks making happy peeps.

I hold her, and give her love thinking she needs extra attention: sometimes that makes her stop, but half the time she keeps peeping the entire time I’m holding her. I’ve tried ignoring it (doesn’t help) I’ve tried giving extra love, that doesn’t help, I’ve even gently reprimanded her in soothing tones and tried shushing her but… she just won’t shut up! I love and adore her, but it’s goes from 7am to 9pm and it’s a lot of non stop strobe light chirping that’s 3 times or more as loud as a normal cheep. I gave them a few mirrors and she likes to stand there, but sometimes it seems to make it worse so I take them away. I give toys and roost bars and she sits on them and plays, but still cheeps. She does it even as she’s eating. She only stops when she’s dead asleep.

Is this normal? And will she grow out of it? Because if she’s going to be like this as an adult, I can’t have that. I’m not keeping any roosters because we can’t have the noise here. Any advice on what to try? I love and adore her, but it’s like having a colicky baby and everyone in the house is going nuts.

 

[aart]

I've had those chicks, seems to be one in almost every batch.
You might have to just ignore it, holding her to quiet her might be counter productive.
<chuckles> I used to yell SHUTUP and that would work for a bit, scared 'em.

 

[azygous]

Where is your brooder located? Is it by some chance in a busy part of your house where the chicks see you all the time? Have you tried removing yourself from within sight of the brooder to see if this chick stops the loud chirping? Does the loud chirping get even louder when the chick spots you coming within sight of the brooder?

When you've eliminated the possibility of failure-to-thrive syndrome, all chicks having the same rate of growth and level of activity, that leaves the possibility that you possess a chick that is over-demanding of attention.

What is you location? Are you having warm spring weather yet? Perhaps these chicks would benefit by some time spent outdoors on nice days. Many of us begin "field trips" at age two weeks to give chicks a head start on becoming hardened to cooler temps and a chance to augment their immune systems to outdoor pathogens and the joy of tasting tender spring grass.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

I've had those chicks, seems to be one in almost every batch.
You might have to just ignore it, holding her to quiet her might be counter productive.
<chuckles> I used to yell SHUTUP and that would work for a bit, scared 'em.

Yeah that's what to do when they start up at 1 AM.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

If you could post a pic of your setup that might be really helpful. In all of my years raising babies I've never really had one that did this for no good reason, there was always a "good reason." Even if it means that YOU have been chosen as mommy instead of heat plate. And actually that's why even though I bounce between the 2, I do still prefer MHP, it seems to mimic a real hen better than a plate, calms them right down, nice quiet chicks from the time I put them under there. My heat plate does get hotter than the MHP and I don't usually see them with their back's up against it like the MHP. But of course that's probably me digressing, no way to know what the distress call if really about. Have you tried adding water to their food? Most chicks go cookoo over it as opposed to dry. Just thinking of ways to change her life and make her snap out of it, lol. I feel for you. I live on a River and though it's a perfect white noise and people love it, sometimes I get frustrated that I can't turn it off. I do yell "STOP RIBBETING!!!" to the frogs and that works for a bit....

 

[SuperC]

I've had those chicks, seems to be one in almost every batch.
You might have to just ignore it, holding her to quiet her might be counter productive.
<chuckles> I used to yell SHUTUP and that would work for a bit, scared 'em.

I’ve tried equal parts ignoring her (like a toddler tantrum) and I’ve tried holding her… neither seems effective. The urge to yell is high, but I’d hate to actually scare her (& punish/scare the ones that are happy to peep small peeps all day).

 

[SuperC]

Where is your brooder located? Is it by some chance in a busy part of your house where the chicks see you all the time? Have you tried removing yourself from within sight of the brooder to see if this chick stops the loud chirping? Does the loud chirping get even louder when the chick spots you coming within sight of the brooder?

When you've eliminated the possibility of failure-to-thrive syndrome, all chicks having the same rate of growth and level of activity, that leaves the possibility that you possess a chick that is over-demanding of attention.

What is you location? Are you having warm spring weather yet? Perhaps these chicks would benefit by some time spent outdoors on nice days. Many of us begin "field trips" at age two weeks to give chicks a head start on becoming hardened to cooler temps and a chance to augment their immune systems to outdoor pathogens and the joy of tasting tender spring grass.

The brooder is in the kitchen area & I’m a SAHM and my husband works from home and we homeschool in the Dining room, so there is almost always someone passing by or “around” (we are homebodies so we are always making noise somewhere).

The noise doesn’t increase or decrease with our presence or lack of it. There has been times I’ve been out of the house for 2 hours and my husband (who never left his office and is quiet all day) said it never stopped and when I came home didn’t get louder/quieter I’d like to think she’s just extra demanding of attention, but giving extra (or withholding) attention just doesn’t seem to make any difference to her. Girls just got a mouth on her

It’s warm here today, but we have a cold snap and bad weather coming for the next week or so, so maybe after that. Today i took them in the sunroom in a laundry basket (while I was cleaning the brooder) and they seemed fascinated by the sunshine coming in the blinds so maybe I’ll have to take them in there for field trips until it’s nice out.

 

[realsis]

Try to make sure she's not trying to tell you something. Maybe she's too cold? Or too hot? Hungry? Thirsty? Check her bottom to make sure she isn't having trouble going poo. Make sure any old poo is wiped off to be careful she won't get a pasty bottom. If you checked and all seems good maybe she wants attention. I noticed in my own flock it takes a few days for the chick's to feel completely comfortable . Once they settle you will hear the difference in there chirps. Mine was chirping really loud and I went to check her and she'd gotten out of the brooder cage I use and was afraid. I was glad I checked. I think it just takes a bit of time to feel safe and comfortable. Usually a few days. If you can't find a reason it is likely she's getting used to things. Hope this helps !

 

[SuperC]

If you could post a pic of your setup that might be really helpful. In all of my years raising babies I've never really had one that did this for no good reason, there was always a "good reason." Even if it means that YOU have been chosen as mommy instead of heat plate. And actually that's why even though I bounce between the 2, I do still prefer MHP, it seems to mimic a real hen better than a plate, calms them right down, nice quiet chicks from the time I put them under there. My heat plate does get hotter than the MHP and I don't usually see them with their back's up against it like the MHP. But of course that's probably me digressing, no way to know what the distress call if really about. Have you tried adding water to their food? Most chicks go cookoo over it as opposed to dry. Just thinking of ways to change her life and make her snap out of it, lol. I feel for you. I live on a River and though it's a perfect white noise and people love it, sometimes I get frustrated that I can't turn it off. I do yell "STOP RIBBETING!!!" to the frogs and that works for a bit....

I’ll see if the image will load... It’s a large Rubbermaid tote (apx 2x3 feet) and I have the heat plate on one end, and food and water at the other. I swap a few times a day between the roosting bars and then replace with 2 mirrors so they have different things to play with (I also put a ping pong ball in there that a few like to peck at but they get bored fast so I don’t leave it in) . We are on tile floors, so I have a large heating pad “always on” under half the brooder to keep the bottom from being chilled (& leave the other half unheated incase they need it cooler) (Almost like a reverse MHP) and they really use all of the brooder all day and mostly only go under the brooder to sleep/nap. They are active little chicks and always on adventure and scratching and starting to learn to dust bathe in the shavings. But at night they start out on the outskirts of the heating pad and as the night progresses (& the house cools a little bit) tbey end up mostly under it (but not piled up- they touch but don’t clump up). Our house is also 72 during the day and 68 at night, so they keep super happy and content temp wise it seems.

We had parakeets and mini parrots (parrotlets) for many years, so I’m pretty good at tuning out a lot of bird background, but my goodness… the yapping is going to make me crazy. At least I have the excuse to escape to the workshop for a few hours to keep building my coop for when they go outside in a few months!

 

[SuperC]

She eats and drinks like a champ, never any issues going poo (they are all spotlessly clean bottoms!) and she’s perfect… just a needy yapper I guess. Some days she’s a bit better but it’s literally all day every day most days and we’ve had her a week. I love to death, but mama needs some peace!

Try to make sure she's not trying to tell you something. Maybe she's too cold? Or too hot? Hungry? Thirsty? Check her bottom to make sure she isn't having trouble going poo. Make sure any old poo is wiped off to be careful she won't get a pasty bottom. If you checked and all seems good maybe she wants attention. I noticed in my own flock it takes a few days for the chick's to feel completely comfortable . Once they settle you will hear the difference in there chirps. Mine was chirping really loud and I went to check her and she'd gotten out of the brooder cage I use and was afraid. I was glad I checked. I think it just takes a bit of time to feel safe and comfortable. Usually a few days. If you can't find a reason it is likely she's getting used to things. Hope this hel