I have a new chick that came last night. the chick is the same age as my other chicks, less than a week old. I am watching this chick for my neighbor since her other chicks are older and didn't want her to get squashed. The chick (Bonnie) has been with me since saturday evening. she's been fine until about an hour ago when she started peeping loudly and incessently and she won't stop. All the other chicks are fine. She appears hungry and she picks at the food a little. Im not sure what to do. I don't know whats wrong with her, she just won't stop peeping loudly and constantly. She appears hungry? Im not really sure. she's just not happy! what can I do? Thank yoU!
I hatched one chick last week for two that I set in-between my "big" batches. Since it was just the one I tried to brood her indoors. She was so unhappy because she did not have a friend. She would not stop peeping unless we were in the room with her. I decided to bring in a friend for her overnight and she hushed immediately. Then, I moved her out with the two week olds in the grow off pen and she stays right with the older friend I gave her! Maybe she just feels left out! Hoping for the best!
Oh perhaps I forgot to mention the 4 chicks that are in there with her LOL! they are the ones that are the same age... I have 2 other cinnamon queens and 2 buff orpingtons in there with her, she's a cinnamon queen as well. I don't know why sh'es so upset!
I have 20 chicks in the brooder room right now. And one of those chicks are a loud mouth as well. Its not really that your doing something wrong. Its just the chick its self. Dont worry too much about it. If its warm, fed, and got water then its fine.
its just that she's been fine and perfectly content since sat night.... and just today she's a loud mouth ya know? it makes me feel like she's not happy and something is making her unhappy..
Dont worry too much over it. chickens are not babies like humans are. They dont cherp cause they are hungry or unhappy. They churp cause thats what chicks do. They do it to let the hen know where they are.
I have a loud mouth but for her it's because she wants to be held, all the time! She is very attached to me. My last loud mouth before her was a SS pullet chick who it turns out was not finding the waterer even though I had dipped her when I put her in the first time. I dipped her beak a few more times and she started drinking and stopped yelling. Another thing, How large is your feed bits? Some chicks require crumbles to be ground up finer. You can just put a little in a food processor (or if it isn't medicated you can use your coffee grinder). As StrawberryHouseMouse said, sometimes you just get a loud chick, but often it is because of a problem or a need for attention. Sometimes it can be that she is a loner. The other chicks may be bonded to each other and not very interested in her. She may feel left out like lovin'mychicks said.
Incessant, constant, malcontented cheeping can be a sign of low body heat. A couple drops of Karo light syrup and a few drops of poly-vi-sol no iron, will usually right such a chick within an hour. Stressed chicks burn calories faster, digest less well and sometimes become hypothermic because of it. That's why sometimes providing extra warmth - inside your cupped hands, your shirt, with an older warmer chick, is a small towel lined box, will quiet them as well. Constant unmitigated cheeping usually while standing or lying down is your way of knowing the bugger is shutting down and may eventually go into shock. Now one that is running around eating like a mad thing, pecking at everything new, knocking others aside and generally being wholly normal --- just making an ungodly racket is just a normal pain in the ... who is just asking to be a cup of ChickBroth. I had one named Broth - she's out in the yard screaming as she chases flies. Sigh. A happy, content, unstressed chick makes very little noise. Hence our discussion on shipped chicks making a huge amount of noise compared to hatched at home chicks or chicks with their mothers. Generally in nature infants that can make noise, that are doing so incessantly have a reason. Of whatever species. Works with pups, kittens, baby birds, chicks, poults, and a whole bunch of other critters. Sure they'll cry intermittently for the sake of making noise or when they get picked on. Incessant, incontent, listless chicks are telling you something.
If you have the time, like I do, spoil her a little. Give her a little sugar (or electrolytes with vitamins) water (with a dropper if necessary), wrap her in a warm, dry wash cloth, and stick her inside your shirt (head out of course). Now don't think this is too odd. But I keep thinking how unnatural this whole brooder thing is. A light on day and night, no warm murmuring mother to watch over you and no one to show you how good a fresh bug is to eat! In 20 minutes, put the chick back with her buds with a little boiled egg yolk for protein for everyone. I did this a few times for an unhappy chick and the incessant chirping stopped. I know this is a luxury for you busy young families but I had time to spoil my chicks a little, and I did.
Maybe she just found her voice? And now she is trying it out. You could try holding her and giving her lots of love. I find that my loud ones seem to quiet down when I cuddle with them using a heating pad to ward off any chill in the air and create a warm cave. It seems to help.
