Help! Loud chicks!

[murphygirlwyondotte]

Are they in your house right now? Is there enough room for them to get out of the heat from the lamp? Ideally, they should be able to come and go from that heat lamp at will. Are there other chickens in your coop right now? How big is the coop (in feet x feet)? And the run?

I start my chicks in the coop. They have a lot of room to roam, and plenty of space to get away from the heat as they wish. I keep feeders and waterers in the cooler part of the setup.

Yes they are in my house right now. They do not curretly have a spot outside of the heat lamp. On the other side of the brooder it's only about 1 degree cooler. I'll try shading one area. The light it pretty high up (3ft off ground) so the heat light spans across the whole brooder. Hopefully shading an arean will help.
The coop is in the mail, it's a 4x6 shed (feet) with a door and window. Then I'm going to attach a run to the shed so they can go in and out. Not sure how long the run will be, I'm thinking about 6x6, what do you suggest?

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

Sod is a chunk of grass with the roots and dirt attached. I moved my chicks out at 4 weeks. I weaned them off heat at 3 weeks because temperatures were warm enough here. Generally by 5 weeks or so most chicks are feathered enough to go out.

Ok thank you for your input. So you think this is the reason for the noises? The lack of room?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yes they are in my house right now. They do not curretly have a spot outside of the heat lamp. On the other side of the brooder it's only about 1 degree cooler. I'll try shading one area. The light it pretty high up (3ft off ground) so the heat light spans across the whole brooder. Hopefully shading an arean will help.
The coop is in the mail, it's a 4x6 shed (feet) with a door and window. Then I'm going to attach a run to the shed so they can go in and out. Not sure how long the run will be, I'm thinking about 6x6, what do you suggest?

I would probably start turning the light out for a time and see how they do. What is your house temperatures?

 

[trumpeting_angel]

The best reason for sod is they get tiny doses of the bacteria in your yard and begin to develop immunity.

 

[chickenmomma16]

Ok thank you for your input. So you think this is the reason for the noises? The lack of room?

Could you post a picture of your brooder? Might help figure out what could be wrong.


Also, your run size should be as big as you could afford and/or fit in your chosen space. You won’t regret going bigger! That was our regret, the run is too small.

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

I would probably start turning the light out for a time and see how they do. What is your house temperatures?

Ok, will do. I will put light on a timer 1 hour on, 15 mins off. Do you think this could explain the noise?
She always does eventually quiet down for eating, drinking, and sleeping by the way

 

[rosemarythyme]

They do not curretly have a spot outside of the heat lamp. On the other side of the brooder it's only about 1 degree cooler. I'll try shading one area. The light it pretty high up (3ft off ground) so the heat light spans across the whole brooder. Hopefully shading an arean will help.

Don't try shading it, it's not the same as sunlight. By blocking off part of the top to create shade it'll turn the tote into more of an oven by trapping heat in.

I would switch out the bulb you're using to something lower wattage. A reptile bulb from a pet store is a good option since they come in various wattages.

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

Could you post a picture of your brooder? Might help figure out what could be wrong.


Also, your run size should be as big as you could afford and/or fit in your chosen space. You won’t regret going bigger! That was our regret, the run is too small.

Inserted below! I'm sorry, it's not a great pic, theyre all sleeping and being peaceful, I didnt want to open the wire mesh cover and wake them.
(The books on the corners are to hold the corners of the wire down so they can't jump and push it off)

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

Could you post a picture of your brooder? Might help figure out what could be wrong.


Also, your run size should be as big as you could afford and/or fit in your chosen space. You won’t regret going bigger! That was our regret, the run is too small.

Here's another

 

[bobbi-j]

I would move them out as soon as you get your coop. I would also suggest going much bigger with your run as the coop may be a bit snug for them as they grow up. Chickens like to hunt and dig and scratch and peck. They’ll have their run bare within a week.