Getting started

[CreekSide123]

I just got four chicks from Tractor Supply. They appear healthy. They have warmth, food, and water. They’re chirping a lot. Is this normal?

 

[Outgoing Orpingtons]

Yes! All of my chicks did that too! I just guess that either
1. They are very talkative.
2. They are screaming at you.
3. They want your attention. (This was a common reason for my chicks)
4. They want their mother hen. (Don't try that with your next chicks, the hen might peck them.)

 

[Outgoing Orpingtons]

Oh! My chicks are from Tractor supply and Fleet farm.

 

[CreekSide123]

Yes! All of my chicks did that too! I just guess that either
1. They are very talkative.
2. They are screaming at you.
3. They want your attention. (This was a common reason for my chicks)
4. They want their mother hen. (Don't try that with your next chicks, the hen might peck them.)

Thank you! I had chicks many years ago so I’m a little rusty!

 

[Outgoing Orpingtons]

I just got four chicks from Tractor Supply. They appear healthy. They have warmth, food, and water. They’re chirping a lot. Is this normal?

Ahhh, my chicks will scream and when I came in and petted them, they would stop. When I left, they would scream again. But they ended up growing up and loving me. They do follow me lol.

 

[Outgoing Orpingtons]

Anyways, welcome!

 

[Outgoing Orpingtons]

What breeds did you buy?

 

[CreekSide123]

What breeds did you buy?

Black Sex Link (strange name). I’ve previously had Rhode Island reds and a couple of others I’m not sure of the breed. Do you know anything about them?

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

They’re chirping a lot. Is this normal?

That is not normal. Can you please post a picture of their brooder? What is their heat source? They usually cheap loudly when they are cold.

 

[fldiver97]

Make sure the know the water source. If the haven’t been drinking yet dip their little beaks in the water, do it with each chick. Peck with your finger at the crumbles (yes, you are now mama hen and show them the ropes). The need a heat source, either a heat lamp or a brooder plate. If you use a heat lamp secure it well!!! Fire hazard is real. Chicks need temp of approximately 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week, then 5 degrees less per week. Make sure they can get away from the heat source if they get too warm. Cold and or hungry chicks can chirp a lot but act and sound distressed. If you use a brooder plate (my personal preference) they can go under and out at will and they have darkness at night (even using a red lightbulb for a heat lamp will keep them more awake at night). Check their little bums daily for stuck on poop, if they get ‘plugged up’ they can go bad quickly. Usually pasty butt is only a problem in the first week or two but it’s worth checking them.
Check out the learning center, prepare a coop because the little ones grow fast!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-raise-chickens.47660/