Crybaby Chick. (6 Weeks)

[speckledegg728]

I have a flock of six girls, all different breeds; Buff Brahma, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Golden Comet, Speckled Sussex, Salmon Faverolle, and Buckeye.

However, I have been having some worries about my little Buckeye. She's always been smaller than her five sisters, though they were all born on the same day and shipped to us together, of course. Iroquois, the Buckeye, is not only a bit runty and behind in feather development (although she eats, drinks, and keeps up with everyone else just fine), but she is so, so WHINY.

It's a very shrill, distinct, non-stop shree shreee sound. She hasn't always cried like this, but over the past few weeks, it has really picked up. She hasn't changed her eating/drinking habits. She acts the same. I sometimes pick her up and stroke her, shush her, and that helps a little, but put her down and she goes right back to it.

Any idea why she could be making these sounds? I do my best to make sure all the chicks are happy and healthy...could something else be the matter, or is it just an attention thing?

I swear this bird's middle name is trouble.

 

[Jensownzoo]

Well, you wouldn't be the first person to be trained by a chick. Sometimes you get that one chick who is a bit needier than the others. And has learned that raising a fuss brings "mama" over for comfort. If you stop responding to the cries, I would predict that at first it will get worse--louder and more often--but as the chick learns that it isn't giving her what she wants, it will drop off.

Now, there can be actual reasons why a chick is extra-needy. If this chick were mine, I would provide some supplemental protein treats to support her growth as much as possible. Mashed hard--boiled egg is my go-to, although chunks of tofu or insects such as mealworms (she'll need chick grit for insects) are also options. A sprinkle of ProBios powder on top will provide a concentrated source of probiotics if they aren't getting it elsewhere.

 

[azygous]

Some chicks are precocious and do figure out how to manipulate their human, but how do you tell whether it's just spoiled or really in a crisis?

Try this experiment. Walk away out of sight of the chick, but stay close enough to hear it. If it goes quiet when you're out of sight, you will know it's a little manipulator. If it continues its shrill peeping, you can be reasonably certain it has a problem. Chicks peep non-stop when they're in pain or distress, the opposite of adult chickens who go mute when in crisis.

 

[speckledegg728]

Oh gosh. The whole flock is definitely spoiled on one level or another and I won't deny that.

Little Miss Buckeye is the only one who yells, though, and most of the time she isn't even one of the girls who volunteers to jump into your lap for affection. She has to be chased down and picked up if you want to pet her, and she raises a fuss about it for a couple of seconds, but gives in and enjoys it after that. Today I've tried playing "hard to get", and admittedly, it has made her slightly quieter. Just slightly.

I read somewhere that the Buckeye breed in particular needs a little more protein than most, so I took your advice and mashed up a hard-boiled egg. Showed it to all the girls, who turned up their beaks at first--came back ten minutes later, it was GONE. Guess somebody liked it after all.

How often would you recommend I supply this extra protein to my Buckeye? I would love to see her feathers get glossy and watch her grow and catch up with the rest of her flock. If the protein issue is what's making her cry and 'stunting' her growth, I'd love to help fix it for her. Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[Jensownzoo]

If she's having difficulty with her digestion/absorption of protein then giving her access to more of it means she would have a better chance at getting enough in her system to support growth and feather production. Chicks grow so fast that I would offer the supplement daily. It certainly won't hurt her brooder mates to share her snack, but I'd make sure she had first crack at it. She may not be able to actually catch up in size to them until they stop growing, but definitely don't want her to lose any more ground.

I just took a shipment of chicks today that has six Buckeyes. I've been wanting them all summer but waited until a few of the other breeds on my wishlist were also available. So far not noisy, but they had a long trip.