Wondering if I am creating a problem for later

[ravynfyre]

Greetings all. I've been keeping chickens for four years now, turkeys for three years, ducks for two, and this year, added guineas, geese, and peafowl. I currently have two adult males, one yearling male, and two adult hens who laid eggs last year where they were living. One of the hens unexpectedly laid several eggs last month. I wasn't watching for them, so I didn't spot them until something had broken three of the five. The surviving two eggs went into my incubator. Despite being placed in the incubator at the same time, the two eggs hatched a week apart, which perplexed me, but I'm dealing with it.

Last week, the first hatched chick was in the brooder with a single guinea keet that hatched at the same time. In the morning, I found the peachick stuck on its back, unable to flip over. When I flipped him over, he couldn't seem to stand, and seemed weak on one side. I searched the forums and got some great ideas, and commenced to hand feeding with a syringe, a concentrated sugar water solution, about 1cc every 30-40 minutes. The next morning, the chick was alert, coordinated, walking around, eating, and back to normal. I named him Pip at that time.

The second chick hatched the next day after that, and 24 hours later, went into the brooder with Pip. As of today, there are four keets, Pip, and Pip's sibling in my brooder.

Today, however, Pip had on two occasions, started making the three-peep-distress-call. It starts relatively soft, and then escalates into a very loud, very distressed cry. When I go check on them, no one is harassing Pip. Pip is up, running around, not panting, not shivering, and seems to be completely normal, except that he's still crying. When I pick him up to check him for injuries or anything else, he stops crying, settles down, and goes to sleep in my hand.

Has anyone else run into this before with their own chicks? Is it possible that Pip is just crying for his "mother", who is me? Or am I missing something? I know that peachicks are *very* fussy and hard to hatch out and keep alive, especially for a novice. I've hatched plenty of ducks and keets and chickens, and even a few goslings, but these are my first two successful peachick hatches, and I'm really trying hard to help them thrive...

If this is just loneliness or attention seeking, will this cause problems when Pip grows up? I tried looking this up online, but google failed me, so I'm hoping the experienced folks here can help!

 

[JetCat]

peachicks in my experience can be much more difficult to raise, they have to be taught to eat/drink (i toss a few baby chicks in with them), your guinea can serve the same purpose but just the one may not have been enough to teach Pip enough to sustain himself (why he required your intervention). a good 24-30% non medicated game bird feed should be fed and in my experience they should be kept off the ground till at least 6 months old. good luck!!

 

[MinxFox]

I only raise peafowl so I don't know the difference personally, but from what everyone says peachicks are much more needy compared to other baby birds. Your situation is completely normal and Pip is probably imprinted to you. They will cry, and as they get older their crying will get louder! It does get annoying but I try to give them lots of attention by taking them out for some exercise and getting them tired so that they will then fall asleep and be quiet. Young peachicks can be easy to get to fall asleep. I like holding the chick and putting a feather boa overtop of it in my lap and then the peachick will normally fall asleep. As they get older it is of course harder to get them to sleep.

If you ever have to teach a peachick to drink and eat and you don't have other chicks to teach it, put some marbles in the water dish. They will get curious about the marbles and peck at them, and then learn to drink from doing that. As far as the food goes you just have to keep pecking at it with your fingers and showing them what to do.

I have an imprinted adult peacock that will come running and start pacing the pen when he sees me. Then he will follow me around the pen and peck my fingers until I pet him. The imprinted ones are always lots of fun.

 

[Birdrain92]

Greetings all. I've been keeping chickens for four years now, turkeys for three years, ducks for two, and this year, added guineas, geese, and peafowl. I currently have two adult males, one yearling male, and two adult hens who laid eggs last year where they were living. One of the hens unexpectedly laid several eggs last month. I wasn't watching for them, so I didn't spot them until something had broken three of the five. The surviving two eggs went into my incubator. Despite being placed in the incubator at the same time, the two eggs hatched a week apart, which perplexed me, but I'm dealing with it.

Last week, the first hatched chick was in the brooder with a single guinea keet that hatched at the same time. In the morning, I found the peachick stuck on its back, unable to flip over. When I flipped him over, he couldn't seem to stand, and seemed weak on one side. I searched the forums and got some great ideas, and commenced to hand feeding with a syringe, a concentrated sugar water solution, about 1cc every 30-40 minutes. The next morning, the chick was alert, coordinated, walking around, eating, and back to normal. I named him Pip at that time.

The second chick hatched the next day after that, and 24 hours later, went into the brooder with Pip. As of today, there are four keets, Pip, and Pip's sibling in my brooder.

Today, however, Pip had on two occasions, started making the three-peep-distress-call. It starts relatively soft, and then escalates into a very loud, very distressed cry. When I go check on them, no one is harassing Pip. Pip is up, running around, not panting, not shivering, and seems to be completely normal, except that he's still crying. When I pick him up to check him for injuries or anything else, he stops crying, settles down, and goes to sleep in my hand.

Has anyone else run into this before with their own chicks? Is it possible that Pip is just crying for his "mother", who is me? Or am I missing something? I know that peachicks are *very* fussy and hard to hatch out and keep alive, especially for a novice. I've hatched plenty of ducks and keets and chickens, and even a few goslings, but these are my first two successful peachick hatches, and I'm really trying hard to help them thrive...

If this is just loneliness or attention seeking, will this cause problems when Pip grows up? I tried looking this up online, but google failed me, so I'm hoping the experienced folks here can help!

Sounds like a "mommy where are you call." When incubating and hatching season for me gets loud around my place since the chicks will do the screech noise that gets louder each time. When they get older they'll be fine they become more independent. Once they are taught how to eat and drink they do fine on their own. I teach my chicks how to eat and drink by putting my index and thumb together and act like my fingers are drinking and eating and the chicks pick up on it eventually.