I have a little 9 day old stinker in the brooder who is 3x louder than the other chicks...always has been. I just figured it was a loud breed or something (Silkie btw). Today it is peeping differently than it normally does. It's the same volume (loud), but it sounds like a pe-peep, pe-peep like it has the hiccups. Nothing is "wrong" with it (no sicknesses that I can tell anyway), no mites, no lice - no crop problems. It's eating, drinking, scratching and playing normally. Everything looks fine...and it's not doing anything 'weird' with its beak - its peep is just sort of "broken record/hiccup" sounding, as it's a half peep followed by a regular peep. Certainly roosters don't crow at 9 days old, do they?? Anything else it could be? (please say there's another reason).
I'm new to chickens, so I can only tell you what I've learned in the past 3 weeks but my chicks seems to have several different vocalizations. Aside from the quiet peep they make whenever they are awake, I've noticed that they have a certain shrill peep they make when one discovers an interesting wood chip or treat (they chirp like crazy when they get treats!) , a different peep when they are startled or see something unusual(it sounds almost like a warning and everyone reacts) and, a really loud peep when they either don't want to be picked up or are seperated from the others, sort of a "let me down", and a "i'm over here guys." I have noticed the two chicks I think might be cockels are the loudest and also the least shy while the ones I think might be girls are quiet and more nervous about approaching new things. I have read 6 books on chickens and have been reading everything online I can find and everyone seems to say roosters don't crow until about 5 or 6 months so maybe you can observe your chick to see if maybe it is trying to alert the others of something. I hope that helps... Good luck with your chick!
doesnt matter if his cheaping causes a sonic boom; his cuteness factor overrides any traits negative to humans. mine are all good lads,must have been near the half a year old mark before they started,am not bothered in the slightest though as we have a neighbour with a yappy little ankle biter dog and he barks all day as the owner leaves him out a lot,dont think he has ever heard of a concept known as taking the dog for a walk.
