cheep cheep cheep CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP cheep cheep cheep

[fargosmom]

Are chickens born knowing Morse code? Our nearly-4 week old chicks spend an awful lot of time pecking the sides of their cardboard condo. Are they signalling to the outside world that they're held hostage in a crazy person's house and need immediate rescue?

It almost seems like a compulsive stress relief but they don't act stressed otherwise (eating sleeping pooping cheeping all systems normal - no loud peeping or other odd behavior). They do seem to do it most right before lights-out.
Anyway just curious . . .

 

[william9792]

thats the way mine are to

 

[Debi214]

It might be the "I want attention because I think you are my mother" thing going on.

 

[jokker1978]

they are just trying to get on your nerves so you will get rid of them

 

[fargosmom]

nah, I don't think they think I'm momma. They were already a week old when I got them so I think they'd passed the bonding stage. They're definitely ok with me, but they tap tap tap whether I'm watching or not. I have noticed they seem to peck at the same places; maybe they see something that looks like food (although it all looks brown and cardboardy to me).

 

[Debi214]

Hmmm - maybe they are just trying to drive you crazy then. I really don't know why they peck at the boxes. Mine did it all the time but now that they are older they see me and come running. "Mommy give us the cracked corn or treats NOW because you have spoiled us!"

 

[fargosmom]

don't they realize by the very fact that they're here living in my house that I'm already crazy?

Anyway they're cute and that's all that matters.

 

[Debi214]

Mine were in my mudroom until 6 weeks of age! That is the door we use to come and go. Haha funny!! There were 9 of them.

 

[cmom]

My birds still do it but now at 16 weeks they are pecking the walls of the coops. Sometimes when I'm in one of the coops I hear this pecking on the outside and when I'm out side I hear the pecking on the inside. I think they are trying to drive us crazy.

 

[fargosmom]

hey Debi214 - our laundry (where the chicks are) is also sort of our mud room, so we're in the same boat. I'm trying really hard to get our coop built in the next two weeks - just hoping the weather stays nice this weekend (oops, now I've probably jinxed it!). I had planned that six weeks was my limit too . . . we'll see!