Help! Loud chicks!

[Aunt Angus]

To answer your earlier question, I knew she was straining because she would lift her itty bitty wings as though she was going to poop. She would flap around a bit and chirp loudly. Sometimes she would be able to poop, sometimes it took a lot of flapping and chirping.

Funny thing - my 3 littles in the brooder were super loud today, too. It's like they knew I'd replied to your post! Turns out they were cold, I think. I use a DIY mama heating pad in my brooder. The AC kicked on, and I think they could feel the cold air. I scooped them up and they sat on my shoulder and went right to sleep. Hubby says I've spoiled them and now they aren't happy unless I'm cuddling them. Oops.

I'm from the East Bay originally, and hubby is from South Bay. I miss the weather, but not the traffic nor the cost of living!

 

[Aunt Angus]

And I second @bobbi-j . Bigger is better! I have 5 pullets in my 4x8 coop. They have a 113 sq ft run, and when they are penned up, it seems too crowded. I've taken to letting them forage in the yard most of the day. If you're planning on keeping them penned, go as big as you can. And you will likely get more chickens at some point. Plan ahead! I swore I'd only ever have 4. I now have 8 total, and I think I will get a couple more in the next year. They are addictive!

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

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.

My shed comes in next week, and I can assemble next weekend. They'll be 3.5 weeks at that point. They'll have a run, but when they're old enough they'll be able to roam our whole (enclosed) garden, which is where the coop will be. The garden is pretty large. Do you think they're just going a bit stir crazy?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Last thing - I promise! My first 4 were out in the coop by week 3. I just plunked their whole brooder set up into the coop. I was planning on starting these 3 in the coop on day 1, but there were complications (long sad story) and I decided to keep them inside. They require a little more care than my first flock, and they are bantams, so they are smaller and more fragile (or so it seems to me).

Oh please keep us updated!!! I'm always excited when someone becomes a chicken parent!

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

I have mine in a brooder still but I have five two week old bantams in a brooder box the size of a twin bed. They spend almost no time near the heat. So your bigger chicks might really be needing some space by now.

Thanks for the input! So if theyre needing more space this could be the reason they're making lots of noise?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks for the input! So if theyre needing more space this could be the reason they're making lots of noise?

Could be. Too hot will make them unhappy. I've found it can cause diarrhea, too.

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

Last thing - I promise! My first 4 were out in the coop by week 3. I just plunked their whole brooder set up into the coop. I was planning on starting these 3 in the coop on day 1, but there were complications (long sad story) and I decided to keep them inside. They require a little more care than my first flock, and they are bantams, so they are smaller and more fragile (or so it seems to me).

Oh please keep us updated!!! I'm always excited when someone becomes a chicken parent!

Thank you! I will keep everyone updated! I love them so much but it's making me crazy with anxiety thinking that something could be really wrong, like life-threatening wrong. They will for sure be moving out to the coop once it's all set up, I'm eager to get them out of the house (bc of the anxiety its caused me! ) and into a nice big area. Another question, might be silly but, since I'll have a shed do you recommend putting a heat lamp in there? I've seen some images of coops with heat lamps, but I know that could be a fire hazard out in my garden.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thank you! I will keep everyone updated! I love them so much but it's making me crazy with anxiety thinking that something could be really wrong, like life-threatening wrong. They will for sure be moving out to the coop once it's all set up, I'm eager to get them out of the house (bc of the anxiety its caused me! ) and into a nice big area. Another question, might be silly but, since I'll have a shed do you recommend putting a heat lamp in there? I've seen some images of coops with heat lamps, but I know that could be a fire hazard out in my garden.

Nope! Not needed in the Bay Area. Chickens can handle cold better than heat. And there are no silly questions!

Edited to add: Heat lamp is not needed once they feather out. Until then, they will need a heat source.

But they will need ventilation! You'll need to add ventilation up high covered with hardware cloth. Lets air come and go, but not predators!

 

[chickenmomma16]

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)

Looking at your set up it may be a couple things going on. They are probably pretty cozy, not much room to run and play like they start doing at this age. Also, is one side of your brooder warmer than the other? Or is it a general temp throughout the whole thing? In nature chicks like to run around doing their thing and when they get chilled they just run under momma for a quick warm up and off they go again. It could be they aren’t able to choose their temp so if one gets chilled it can’t heat up really quick. They have to wait until a brooder mate decides to settle down so they can snuggle. In your setup though I wouldn’t lower the lamp, you will create an oven. But I agree with the suggestion to move them out in their coop ASAP. I just moved 10, 5 week old chicks to my coop with no heat (used a brooder plate system and we’re off heat at 4wks) with nighttime temps in the low 50s and I just checked on them and they found their way to the roost with the older chicks and are are doing fine.
Another thing, If it’s always one chick in particular, you could just have a very vocal chick. You’ve made it to 3 weeks so they are probably fine! They are way more hardy than you think.

 

[murphygirlwyondotte]

Looking at your set up it may be a couple things going on. They are probably pretty cozy, not much room to run and play like they start doing at this age. Also, is one side of your brooder warmer than the other? Or is it a general temp throughout the whole thing? In nature chicks like to run around doing their thing and when they get chilled they just run under momma for a quick warm up and off they go again. It could be they aren’t able to choose their temp so if one gets chilled it can’t heat up really quick. They have to wait until a brooder mate decides to settle down so they can snuggle. In your setup though I wouldn’t lower the lamp, you will create an oven. But I agree with the suggestion to move them out in their coop ASAP. I just moved 10, 5 week old chicks to my coop with no heat (used a brooder plate system and we’re off heat at 4wks) with nighttime temps in the low 50s and I just checked on them and they found their way to the roost with the older chicks and are are doing fine.
Another thing, If it’s always one chick in particular, you could just have a very vocal chick. You’ve made it to 3 weeks so they are probably fine! They are way more hardy than you think.

That was all so helpful, thank you! Any suggestions on how to make one side cooler? I can’t figure out how to do that, I don’t know where I’d find a bin or something bigger than the one I already have. It’s one general temp. Maybe one side is about one degree cooler. I have two small thermometers, one on either side.
The light I have is now on a timer since last night. So it’s on for one hour and off for 15 mins. So I think it cools down a little. Trying to ween them off heat.
I really hope it is the case that I just have one particularly vocal one.