Chicks went out last night for the 1st time in their new coop but.....

[csummer8882]

apparently around 10:30 pm last night, the girls started tweaking out. We weren't here, we were at a cookout. The neighbor just confronted me down where the girls are. She insisted that we have a rooster and that she better not have to listen to that. I said we do not have a rooster and I apologize. Maybe it was because it was their first night in the coop. What would make them screach and freak out? They have had some issues since Wednesday here in the house. When it starts getting dark, they have been screaching so loud! Goes on for at least an hour. Don't know what started it last night. What do I do to help stop this? The girls are almost 6 weeks old, 2 NH reds, 3 golden commets and 1 RIRed. Thank you!

 

[xera13]

night light? did they have a heat lamp in the house before going out? I just put ours out last night. I'm not sure if they are completely old enough but they are 5 weeks and are feathered. They were stunking up the garage to much and the DH said they had to go. Currently in the shop in a lamped box at the doggie door that goes out to a caged area for them. I live in the country and altho we dont hear the roos in the house very often i can hear them a ways down from the house when walking so im sure the neighbor that is close to the house can hear. I can hear the dog bark and the teenage kid tearing around on the wheeler so i dont care if the roo drives them nuts. I would just explain to her that they are transitioning to the new home and should calm down.

 

[csummer8882]

They haven't had a lamp for about a week. Its been hot here. I do have some solar lamps....maybe we should pull them out and see if that makes a difference. Thank you!

 

[Mommysongbird]

Have they been with or without a light source and for how long??

Our chicks had to go without a light source when they were about 4 weeks. Their brooder light blew out and I could not find the other one, so we just started closing their brooder up at night.

Here is some pictures of our brooder and what we had around it. The 2nd picture shows it a little better, but we would take 2 more of those panels and lay them on the top (one was 'clipped' into the front and sides, the the other just layed upon the top of the back part). When our babies got to squawking loudly like yours, I knew it was time for bed and I would just cover them and it would be dark.

So if your's still had a light source, maybe they need it in the coop as well.

 

[csummer8882]

They haven't had a light for about a week now. Its def weird. The new coop has 2 roosts, each about 37" long so I know there is more than enough room. The coop is much bigger than the brooder but they were screaching in the brooder starting on Wednesday. Its always when it starts to get dark. I thought it was because they needed room. LOL Now it looks like I am mistaken. I am just at a loss on what is making them screach for an hour or so. If we do turn on a light, they still screach. I don't know!

 

[Mommysongbird]

Quote:
That is strange! Ours would stop screaching in about 10 - 15 minutes after 'turning out the lights' and we didn't hear a sound from them until the next morning.

We haven't had any problems since they went into the coop and it too is WAY bigger than the brooder. Well, I guess we have had 1 problem and that is they won't use the roosts yet.

They would rather lay on the floor in a line.

 

[un-named]

Quote:
any chance you have rats or something predatorish that moves when it is dark and is freaking them out?

 

[csummer8882]

No because they started doing it in the house on Wednesday. They just went into the coop last night for the 1st time and apparently continued with the evening screaching festivities. UGH