We had a hatch of joyous peepers on wed 4/8 - 4/9 of 4 beautiful Lite Brahma chicks. All appear lively, happy, learning and running in the brood box. We are running a 90-94 degrees beneath the lamp with ample area to get into the cooler temps. One chick sounds like its lost, cold, missing litter mates...as it stands beneath the heat lamp with the other chicks. Picking it up, it will quiet down, so I cut open sides on a berry box, which helped for a while and you would find him under it. Size is slowly showing as the others are growing, even tho I see this one eat and drink. The standing and lying down is interesting as it likes to have one foot under it, as it finds a place to sleep with one foot down, over the news paper in the corner. Any suggestions what I can try? It sounds like a lost chick and I cannot go around holding a chick in my shirt all day!!! This morning I've tried some scrambled egg in hopes that it would be fuller, yet I have yet to witness it eating egg. Thank you in advance for any suggestions!
Well I had a simular but not simular problem. I have one chick that just loves people..she would be a great house chicken. I always picked her up because she would run to me when I put my hands in there. She started flying up on the water and food feeders to be close to me. I loved on her all the time. One day I wanted to take a nap. All the chicks were sleeping when I walked by to check. Apparently she caught me out of the corner of her eye and as soon as I layed down started cheeping extremely loud! I thought something was wrong. I walked back over only to find her on top the food container staring and peeping at me. I walked away and laid back down. PEEP PEEEP PEEEEEEP I tried to ignore her but eventually I couldnt handle it..went back in and there she is waiting for me to pick her up again. I gave up on the nap and picked her up, loved on her a bit then cleaned the house. STinkin chicken..lol I'm not saying this is your problem, it could be medical. I would just make sure its not because she just wants extra attention and is just a lover.
Thank you Packmomma, but in this case, no. I wish it was because I could ignore that! lol. This one when its awake, its standing peeping, when it lays down it takes a couple of down up, down up, down to finally lay down and never looks comfortable. But moving it, looking at its body, I cannot find a thing wrong. Thanks again for helping!! I do appreciate it! and yes..Darned chickens! They do become spoiled!
Well I wish it was a spoiled chicken for your sake too. The only other thing I could think of would be like a lump or something on the bird itself but since you looked her over..not sure. Sorry I"m not of more help I'm just a newbie chicky owner.
If it walks around okay, eats okay, is plenty warm, you've probably just got a whiney chick. I've got one too. When I let them out of their crate to flap around, it jumps up on my shoulder and tries to get under my hair.
Both my chicks do this! They just love being held! Although the one (they yellow one) just loves the other one (the brown one). If I hold just the brown one, the other peeps like crazy and vica verca. But when they are both together, if the brown one wanders around the yellow one will just peep loudly and follow the brown one! Sometimes the peeping is super loud! Silly little chicks! My little yellow chick does not move around as much as the brown one though. Both are eating and drinking, so I'm not too worried. As long as they are warm, eating and drinking things should be fine. I guess there are some chicks that want extra attention! LOL!
Thank you so much for your responses, I greatly appreciate them. Unfortunately I had to put the chick down this morning. It was blind with something else going on. It would not drop its head to drink or eat starter at all, even if it was mixed with fluid. I did put a cardboard berry box with the sides cut out so it could get in where the light wasn't shining (thought it hated the light) and did well except it peeped loudly every hour. Finally after that first few days I noticed it was not growing or eating. I had been dipping its beak in water right along. So I began feeding it cream of wheat and yogurt. Letting her be for a while after peeping again, trying feeding it grain and no way would it let anything in except for yogurt and a few pieces of the cooked soft cereal. Finally it dawned on me that each time I reached in, the others would run, this one wouldn't, just loudly peep. It was blind. When it would walk with the others, it would walk on tippy toes and they would all corral around it and support their buddy. This morning I hoped that it would begin eating and I could really see the difference in the size and needs. Yesterday I noticed that when I fed it, its tiny beak would become ashy with a blue vein showing, like it wasn't getting oxygen when it ate. I feel pretty rotten, I've never culled chicks before, out of this batch I'm glad that some of the others died in their shells, I put 2 down and that is enough. (Don't know what the difference is, but I can take care of and process broilers, but chicks are babies, its psychological I guess!) Like I said, thank you for your suggestions, I do appreciate them all.
yeah mine always did quiet down when I had some music playing.... they particularly liked Nick Drake and Pink Moon....
