Spoiled Chick??? Really?????

[jrube]

OK so we started our chicken raising adventure with a two eggs from my neighbor, was going to get more, but a dog came in and killed all my neighbors chicks and chickens.... bummer huh?

At any rate, we got one out of two eggs to hatch.... we now have a male Dominicker who my daughters have spoiled!!!! I swear "The Dude" as he is named will chirp non stop until picked up... Is this because he is alone in the brooder? Also the dude wants to come over to me all the time... is it because I held him first? Kinda funny my girls say that The Dude thinks I am his daddy... lol

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Chicks don't do well on their own, they're social animals by nature. So yeah, he's gonna make a LOT of noise and want a LOT of attention. I'd look on Craigslist or your local thread here on BYC and see if anyone has any similar age chicks for sale.

 

[ThePRfan]

It's probably not that he is alone.Chicks really should have at least 1 other buddy,but still I wouldn't think it's because he is only..I doubt it's because you held him first,it's probably because of being spoiled.Although,believe it or not this tricky.I never will understand why he chirps at you non stop,but he may just want center of attention.

 

[Sustained]

I had a silkie chick who acted a lot like you're describing. He was an 'only' for about 10 hours and even after the 2nd chick hatched, he wasn't content with the other chicks company. He cried nonstop when I would put him down and wasn't satisfied with anyone else holding him if I walked away. He'd cry and struggle and if he got loose he would chase me down the hallway, crying the whole way. I read that some chicks will imprint. It's possible yours did. My silkie is now almost 5 weeks old and is much more independent. Although when he gets sleepy he still likes to get in my lap to go to sleep.

Like the other poster said, they're social by nature and possibly if you found him a friend he'd be more content. It certainly can't hurt to try! Good luck!

 

[Tamara119]

I once had a single chick from a bad incubator hatch, and he too was constantly chirping unless I put my hand in the brooder or picked him up. I'm certain it was because he was alone; chicks always chirp when they can't find their mother or siblings. I was totally exhausted at the time, and I had couldn't take my hand out of the brooder for more than a minute or two without the constant noise starting up. So I put my hand in a glove, and once the chick got used to the glove I took off the glove and hung it over the brooder, dangling down and nearly touching the bottom. The chick accepted this as 'my hand' for quite a while! I think I had about 30 minutes before he realized he had been duped! All I had to do was come back, put my hand in the glove and move it around for a few minutes, and then I could leave again by hanging the glove up again. I only did this for a day; realizing he needed company I called around until I found a farm with chicks, and went to get two of them to keep him company. That finally worked; once he had other chicks with him he settled down.
Definitely get a couple more chicks from somewhere, it will help.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My first chick was also an only from a ruined hatch, and yes, he/she (10 weeks now and still not sure) was and is very spoiled. The first two nights I slept on the floor by the brooder just to get some sleep or she wouldn't be quiet. Often I had to slide my hand in between the bars to reassure her. After the second night I moved the brooder in my room by my bed so she could see me and I could sleep. The older she got the more time she spent hanging out with us out of the cage, but at night she would get so upset in her cage and take an hour to two before she would calm down. 3 weeks ago my second hatch hatched out 13 chicks. I moved her cage back out of my room and set it across from the brooder where it's made a world of difference! Even though there are 7 weeks difference between her and the others just being in the same space has really quieted her down. She still gets "mommy" time, loves to cuddle on my chest if I lay down to watch tv or play on the lap top. She is not a farm chick, she's a pet. lol


This is her a few days ago cuddled on the bed;


Spoiled Chick

 

[Scrambled8]

Actually, right now I have a lone buff orpington chick, and even though I spoil her rotten, she is very quiet. I think it just has to do with the gender.