loud Buckeye chick; new to chickens

[kerthomp]

Hello:

We got 10 chicks a few weeks ago. They turned 5 weeks and 6 weeks on Monday of this week. We have 5 different varieties. We have never owned any chickens or birds before but have lots of other pets. They have been great fun to watch and are starting to show their personalities more. There is one Buckeye chick that seems to cry all the time. She is 5 weeks old. She does keep quiet at night but it is like she is confused or something. She is now getting out of the brooder box and trying to hang out with the bigger girls but she wanders around and cries and cries. They are currently in my master bathroom and she is really driving me kind of crazy. I would think she would be driving the other chicks crazy too at this point. She has been doing this since she first came home. It took me a little while to figure out which one was the crying one since they were all huddled together at first and hanging out under the eco-glow brooder. I thought maybe there was something wrong with her but she seems to be growing and molting. She is on the smaller side but I have one chick smaller than her. She seems to eat and drink but she is just inconsolable. She hates me and all people in general. I have been able to befriend everyone else but she wants nothing to do with me. You should hear her if I pick her up. You would think I was murdering her. She screams at the top of her lungs and doesn't stop until I put her down. I don't know if Buckeyes tend to be noisy or if there is something I should be doing to make her feel more comfortable? Or if she has some underlying problem causing her pain? I can't find anything obvious. Any help or advice is appreciated. I feel bad for her.

Thanks,

Kelly and the chicks

 

[azygous]

If this chick is cheeping non-stop, it may indicate she is in some distress. And if she is significantly smaller than the others, it is yet another indication all is not right with this chick.

The main consideration is that the chick is eating, drinking, and pooping normally. You will need to observe its behavior.

Watch and see if it is getting bullied away from the feeder and the water. This sometimes happens, and it can be a reason why a chick falls behind in growth. It can also account for the distressed peeping because the chick may, in fact, be starving and dehydrated.

Look at its poops. Compare to the other chick poops. If the poops are different, it may indicate illness.

Bottom line - non-stop peeping indicates a problem. You need to identify it, and then try to remedy it.