some questions about 2 week old chicks

[Lunabyrd]

So I am completely new at raising chicks, and may be overly concerned, but I have some questions.... I have six 2 week old rhode island reds. I just expanded their "cardboard palace" and tried taking away their heat lamp on account of it being 100 degrees outside. They didn't seem to like it, and actually began peeping quite loudly. The thermometer reads 85/86 inside their box. Maybe they are just playing, but it seemed like they chilled out when I put the lamp back up (but like 4 feet above their box). Would they be peeping loudly if they were too hot??

ALSO ... when can you tell if you have a rooster? I have a couple that seems to be bigger and their combs are pinker and seem bigger than the others (maybe this is normal for a rhode island red??).

Do they just start getting louder as they get bigger, cause I feel like I can hear them a lot more in general. Trying to differentiate between sounds of distress and happy peeping. Hmmm....

This chicken forum is quite addicting.

ThankS!!

 

[LarryPQ]

Would they be peeping loudly if they were too hot??

Maybe, maybe not. If they are too hot, they will move away from the heat lamp and pant.

ALSO ... when can you tell if you have a rooster? I have a couple that seems to be bigger and their combs are pinker and seem bigger than the others (maybe this is normal for a rhode island red??).

Much to early at 2 weeks. RIRs mature early, but post some pics in 2 weeks and we'll give it a shot.

Do they just start getting louder as they get bigger, cause I feel like I can hear them a lot more in general. Trying to differentiate between sounds of distress and happy peeping. Hmmm....

Like children, some chickens just need to be the center of attention.

This chicken forum is quite addicting.

Welcome to our sickness.

 

[woodmort]

Chicks have two types of peeps that I've noted--one is the content little peeping that means "all is well" and the other is loud and chaotic meaning "somethin's wrong!" The problem is "wrong" can be anything from temperature to "I'm being chased"--at which point every one runs to the other side of the brooder--to imagined happenings overhead (it's not for nothing that Chicken Little started screaming about the sky falling.) As you get to know them it is fairly easy to distinguish the two. At 2 weeks they should be happy at 85 so it is probably not the heat but it may be they are addicted to the light over their heads--when you remove it they sense something is wrong and complain. Try hanging a plain bulb over them and see what their reaction is.