We're only on Day 2. When we brought them home DD wanted the brooder in her room. About 2AM this morning I hear the chickens peeping and DD moving around. I went into her room to find her sitting next to the box trying to rock the chicks to sleep. She looked up at me and said, " WHY WON'T THEY STOP CRYNG!!!!!" So I suggested that she grab her pillow and go sleep in the family room, we'll move the brooder in the morning...(she's a lot like her mom, that's why I was blessed with a 9 lb. baby that slept 11 hours from the first night she was born
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Our chicks seem to peep in cycles. They sleep for 2-4 hours (especially if undisturbed), then get up and eat, play, poke at each other, and PEEP! That goes on for about an hour and then they settle down again. It seems that they are more awake during daylight hours. Last night they were only awake that one time at 2AM. We are also using a red heat bulb so it does produce white light at night. And we have an aquarium thermometer on the side of the box we are using for a brooder, in the area where the heat is the highest. We are also observing for any huddling or any major avoidance of the heated area.
If they are ALWAYS peeping I would wonder about wet bedding, pasty butt, can't get to food / water or figure it out, too hot / cold, something that frightens them (cat, dog in the room), too much light at night, drafty, crowding too many chicks in a brooder...
Our chicks seem to peep in cycles. They sleep for 2-4 hours (especially if undisturbed), then get up and eat, play, poke at each other, and PEEP! That goes on for about an hour and then they settle down again. It seems that they are more awake during daylight hours. Last night they were only awake that one time at 2AM. We are also using a red heat bulb so it does produce white light at night. And we have an aquarium thermometer on the side of the box we are using for a brooder, in the area where the heat is the highest. We are also observing for any huddling or any major avoidance of the heated area.
If they are ALWAYS peeping I would wonder about wet bedding, pasty butt, can't get to food / water or figure it out, too hot / cold, something that frightens them (cat, dog in the room), too much light at night, drafty, crowding too many chicks in a brooder...
