chicks loud before settling in for the night

[eponagirl]

I've noticed that my 4 week old chicks are cheeping loudly each night now as it begins to really get dark. They have been used to no light now for a couple of weeks (I use a ceramic heat emitter for heat) and are eating/drinking, otherwise acting fine. I raised a roost to a new height earlier today and I thought perhaps they are fighting over who gets to be where?? They usually end up sleeping on the floor of the brooder still. It's like they don't know where to be before bed. Is this normal that they should be so loud at this time?

 

[RendonRoo]

If you set them up on the roost then turn the light off they will eventually figure out that they are to sleep there. The loud cheeping is probably from getting used to the dark at night. They should settle in soon. Good Luck

 

[JewellFarm]

Mine are so spoiled! They refuse to go in their coop until I turn the light on. They stand at the door and cheap and cry until the light goes on then they all turn and happily go in, LOL. They are such little chickens!!

 

[mmtillman]

Must be normal...My hubby and I just got back inside from locking up the coop and I commented to him that they all seem to speak a new '' language '' when it is bedtime...LOL !! They get louder and just sound ''different''.

They all go in about dusk each night and are on the roost in a jiffy.
I would put each on on the roost each night till they started doing it themselves.
They only have a small night light in the coop...I felt bad putting them in total darkness....LOL! So our chickens must be normal !

 

[run_ac_run]

Mine are 2 days old and do this, too. Right now, they are in the bathroom chirping up a storm. this afternoon, they were so still and quiet I honestly thought they were dead. Funny.

 

[Sam The Yam]

Mine get louder too. It's like they are trying to get all their peeping out for the night so they can stay quiet for the night, then those peeps will start up again as soon as it starts to get light.

 

[LilbitChicken]

Sounds normal.....maybe annoying....but normal!

I notice it more in the morning.....BEOFORE I want to wake up.... I can hear them......

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

I just noticed this today with my chicks! Mine are 3 weeks old and I took them outside and let them play in their new coop for a few hours. As the sun was setting, and I was trying to figure out if they should stay out or come in (before you chastise me, I'm in California and it's midnight and 70 degrees, they were enclosed, and well feathered) they started PEEP-ing very very loudly. I was just sitting there watching them, but as it started to darken, the raised their voices. I decided to bring them in and as I brought them back into the house they would NOT shut up, grr..... anyway I think for mine it was due to the change in routine, but they were SO loud.

 

[eponagirl]

Ok, reading these posts makes me feel better. My chicks all seem fine, but "peepy" before bed time...like overtired children who make a big fuss before just passing out for the night!

My older chicks, 6-12 weeks, made a fuss too until I built them a roost in their transition brooder (the person I just got them from hadn't given them a roost yet). Now they eat and then hop up for bed time....well, they first have to test each other to see who is going to be on the end...they all smush over as far as they can and sometimes right on top of whoever is on the end. They work it out...but's it's pretty funny watching them!

Oh these Chick Antics!!

 

[Sam The Yam]

It is so funny to watch them do that. It's like who can get the best spot on the roost!