THESE CHICKS!!! I CANT SLEEP!! THEY WONT LET ME!!!

[Akane]

If you removed the light and they are being loud only before going to sleep then it's like the problem I mentioned of suddenly making it dark. Chickens don't like dark. They get upset. They chicks will need time to adjust to not having a light all the time. Then if you flip the lights out suddenly like leaving your room light on until it's already dark outside they will complain. I have that problem with the rooster I have in the house. I covered the windows and put full spectrum lights over the cage so I can control when he is awake and sleep instead of him crowing in the room next to me at daybreak. The problem is the lights go off after it gets completely dark. The chickens suddenly can't see and start screaming their heads off. You have to dim the room gradually. Either don't turn on the light after they've gone to bed from natural sunlight, leave a very low watt bulb on across the room until they settle in, or what I do is leave the hallway light on outside the room with the door cracked until they hop up on the roost to sleep. It only takes 5-10mins of dim light and they are settled for the night so all the lights can be turned off for bed.

 

[sara]

I mean if it's so bad and you still can't sleep...maybe chicken nuggets are in order?

 

[Suellyn]

Am new to chickens, but have had numerous parrots, cockatiels, parakeets, etc., and "night frights" are a common phenomenon with them; they startle VERY EASILY in the dark, they will flap, flutter, fall.... really hurt themselves sometimes!! A dim nightlight is reccommended, and generally works vey well.

Also the idea of an "adjustment period" makes a lot of sense... We don't go from daylight to PITCH BLACK naturally... Progressively dimming lights kinda gives them a "sunset & twilight"...

Marla... I don't sing to mine (can't sing!!!

), but I DO play a radio softly, and have been doing so since they were in eggs (which was actually my 7 yr old daughter's idea, she was worried that they would be lonely while she was at school & not around to talk to them, so put her radio in next to the incubator!). They really do seem to like it!


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I just tried this for the first time a couple weeks ago, LOVE it! Nice drowsy/relaxed feeling, NOT drugged/dysfunctional, and no groggy feeling next morning like you can get from "sleeping pills"!

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. Maybe you can put them in another room. Make sure they have plenty of feed and water and heat. 95 degrees for the first week and decrease it 5 degrees each week. I leave the heat lamp on 24/7 for their first month. I have a wireless thermometer to monitor the temperature.