Just a couple days ago I moved my chicks into their outside coop. First night was tough (on me ), but they seem to have adapted to it just fine. Here's my question: 4th of July is coming up and while I won't be doing fireworks I know there will be fireworks going off throughout the night. I'm just wondering if all that noise is stressful to the chicks and if so, what can I do to make them feel better or less stressed? Thank you in advance for your responses.
from West Palm Beach, FL Unless there will be rockets exploding directly over your coop or strings of firecrackers popping right outside their door, I don't think your chicks will be bothered at all by the 4th of July celebrations. They are awfully unaware of their surroundings after dark, that's what makes them so vulnerable to predators then. The fireworks shouldn't bother them the way it bothers dogs & horses. If you are still concerned you could hang something to cover their windows & make their coop darker & more sound-proof. Like so many other issues with chicken-keeping, just observe your own birds' behavior and let them tell you how they're feeling.
Your birds may notice the firt two or three booms but will quickly(like seconds) tone them out.. I have had what sounded like a war zone in my backyard when BIL brought friends over to shoot guns and the birds after the first couple of shots were actually foraging right under their feet as the guys weres still shooting....
I agree, I think they may be a little startled at first, worst case they will huddle together and feel secure in their coop. nothing like what my poor dogs are about to go through...
