Chick won’t STOP CHIRPING!!

[SuperC]

Does she have the same "tone" as the others, just louder? Is it possible she just has a loud voice?

No, it’s an insistent, loud, “hey! Hey hey!” Sort of call.

I tried everything, I even dosed with invermectin to see if it was a digestive upset- but it turns out she’s just a loud mouth. I gave them a new brooder set up (wire grid panels that make a 36”x30” cube and placed it on a table so she can see out and about and get a good view of the world. It didn’t shut her up, but it did make her occasionally stop because she was observing around herself. She just wants to call out. Even when I hold her, even when I’ve given her all she needs- she just has the need to loudly and endlessly cheep out. It’s been more than a week now and I’m doing my best to adjust it, but it’s so annoying!

Sometimes a bird (not only a chick) will learn that certain behavior elicits a desired response. And then they perform that behavior when they want that response, even if it's not something that most birds would do.

We had one rooster & hen that learned that when they gave a predator call, I'd run right out. Soon they adapted, so that every time they wanted somebody to throw down some food, they'd give a predator call. It took a while to break them of that habit (by simply ignoring predator calls after watching them on video to make sure that they weren't alerting us to a true attack.)

Maybe the chick has learned that, when it makes that noise, you respond in a desired way, even if it's only to provide attention from a person that the chick identifies as a food source, or that the chick has imprinted in some way.

I was also worried about this, and for the first few days I just ignored her (once I made sure all the important stuff was taken care of). I figured it was like a tantrum and if I ignored it it would stop. Sadly, it didn’t, but doing a few things have helped a bit (open wire care, in a table, multiple enrichment activities rotated thru the day, etc). It didn’t cure it, but she does do it a bit less often (but it’s still a few hours a day). I was offered to give her back, but I love her and she is super affectionate so I want to see if I can “soften the loud edges” of her.

So, I type this she went from quieter peeps to louder ones again .

But at worst case senario, they are only inside the house for a few more weeks so I’m sure I’ll survive (or end up with a massive eye twitch if she doesn’t pipe down a bit more!).

 

[NewChickenMom0711]

I’m trying to not lose my mind with one of my Chicks- she WONT STOP CHIRPING! This isn’t a little peeping like all her brooder mates, this an almost a “help me” peep, but she doesn’t need any kind of help. It’s a “louder than the rest, if a strobe light had a sound it would be this peeping” kind of peep. You know those little plastic chick toys that you hold on your hand that makes an electrical connection and chirps at you? Yeah, sounds almost exactally like that (& just as loud). And she’s been doing it every day since we got her (a week ago). What is wrong? What can I do to make her stop?

A few info bits about her:
-1.5 week old Orpington (as well as her 5 other cage mates )
-she is eating, drinking, snacking, scratching, sleeping and acting just like the others. She’s growing at pace with all the others and getting feathers on schedule and all of them are healthy (no pasty butt or even a sneeze!)
-not being bulled or picked on (she’s actually number 3 in the pecking order, but none of them are actually pushy).
- we have a Brinsea heat plate they sleep under- and we use a dim nightlight in the room for bedtime & we slowly brighten and darken the room with the suns schedule so they have as regular a schedule as we can give them. So she’s not sleep deprived or forced under a 24/7 brooder light (& I also have a night vision baby monitor on them at night and can see they are getting lots of sleep).
- she’s gets just as much love and cuddles as the rest of them, all the attention she wants (we pick her up and hold her when she runs to us, and put her back when she indicates she has had enough). I give them all equal love and one on one time and she’s always happy to be held, but we put her down when she wants it.
- she’s brave- none of them are afraid, but she’s is the first to investigate something new.

So basically, she’s a happy, well cared for chick, but she just won’t stop the noise. And when I’ve taken her to another room for cuddles, it’s amazing how quiet and gentle the brooder sounds with just the other chicks making happy peeps.

I hold her, and give her love thinking she needs extra attention: sometimes that makes her stop, but half the time she keeps peeping the entire time I’m holding her. I’ve tried ignoring it (doesn’t help) I’ve tried giving extra love, that doesn’t help, I’ve even gently reprimanded her in soothing tones and tried shushing her but… she just won’t shut up! I love and adore her, but it’s goes from 7am to 9pm and it’s a lot of non stop strobe light chirping that’s 3 times or more as loud as a normal cheep. I gave them a few mirrors and she likes to stand there, but sometimes it seems to make it worse so I take them away. I give toys and roost bars and she sits on them and plays, but still cheeps. She does it even as she’s eating. She only stops when she’s dead asleep.

Is this normal? And will she grow out of it? Because if she’s going to be like this as an adult, I can’t have that. I’m not keeping any roosters because we can’t have the noise here. Any advice on what to try? I love and adore her, but it’s like having a colicky baby and everyone in the house is going nuts.

I currently have my brooder box inside my house too. I tell my Alexa to play soft music & it’s playing soft rock (the babies like Fleetwood Mac & Jimmy Buffet so far ) on a low volume. It’s helped a lot with the cries, even my rowdy vocal one.

 

[yakitori]

I’ve only had this issue with brooders without a completely dark heated area. Made a switch to use a heating pad in a cardboard cave after observing how my broodies raise their chicks. Broody raised chicks have regular day/night cycles, and you’ll never hear upset chirps when they are under momma.

If they do happen to chirp under these conditions it means something is actually up, either pasty butt or a chilled shipped chick which I usually independently take care of until they build up enough strength to keep up with the others

 

[SuperC]

I've had those chicks, seems to be one in almost every batch.
You might have to just ignore it, holding her to quiet her might be counter productive.
<chuckles> I used to yell SHUTUP and that would work for a bit, scared 'em.

I’ve tried equal parts ignoring her (like a toddler tantrum) and I’ve tried holding her… neither seems effective. The urge to yell is high, but I’d hate to actually scare her (& punish/scare the ones that are happy to peep small peeps all day).

 

[TaylorGlade]

Good responses. Is this your first brood of chicks? If not, you probably know that that plastic tote will be too small for this number of chicks by age two weeks. They will be trying to escape to find more room and adventure. If the weather is bad, think about the playpen idea from @TaylorGlade in the sun room for daytime. Add a cake pan with sand or dry soil from your yard for them to satisfy the urge to scratch and roll and dirt bathe. This may reduce the noise from the demanding chick, having more room and more things to do.

This is actually my main brooder setup. I have a puppy playpen I line with bed pads, throw in some fluff and a heater plate (along with food and toys). I find it makes them less flighty if I sit is on a table because they see me coming and I am not reaching overhead too high. The chicks always live it.

 

[SuperC]

Many of the BYC members that were here ten or more years ago went through a discovery period where we learned that brooders on the floor with overhead access were terrifying to our baby chicks. I experimented with cardboard appliance boxes elevated onto tables with access cut into the sides. These side access brooders transformed our baby chicks from terrified prey to trusting and affectionate chicks. And it translated into trusting and affectionate adult chickens. Here is an old article that describes with photos some of those earlier brooders that were precursors to brooding in my run and skipping indoor brooders completely. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

I’m not sure about her, but the others have no fears or worries; they were hatched by a friend and we got them the next day and have hand raised them. They come running up to see us when we walk by and fight to be the first to hop on our hands when we put ours in there. They don’t almost ever fear call and even our shadows passing on the wall over them doesn’t make them hesitate or spook. The only thing that they don’t like is the sound of the ice maker dumping ice (which startles me too).
I just don’t know if rigging something elaborate would change anything- they are all so friendly and personable and eager to hang with us (& show no fear )that I don’t worry about the overhead issues… but my “crier” is making noise when under the heat of, while eating, while scratching for food, and when she’s asleep and drinking water is the only pause she takes. The rest of the crew are so quiet and mild.

 

[SuperC]

Ha! Ha! My own Memories!-not yours!
I had each of my own children (human) go through this. I learned to carry them on my hip as they faced away from me while vacuuming in minutes they usually quieted and fell asleep.
I had one of my new chicks driving me crazy last week. I put some nice nesting material in my workshirt pocket and she snuggled in and slept as I carefully went about my chores.
My little Brownie, RIP, was the same way! Even as she grew up, she’d follow me churring and giving me light pecks about my ankles. Well, up I’d bring onto my palm and she quieted.
Some kids just need to see how big the world is and know we’ve got them secure,
Hopes you enjoy this and Best to you!

My kiddo was the opposite and never wanted to be held close until she was older Bjorn, baby wraps, ergo carriers- she screamed at them all.
I’ve tried the “comfort” thing for her, but it doesn’t seem to be that… she sometimes quiets down, but most of the time she still peeps loudly the whole time I have her. And then if I walk away from the brooder with her she will start calling for the other chicks in a different tone to communicate with them. So I usually take another one with us to keep her content. I just don’t get it… she’s super affectionate and friendly, just loud.

 

[SuperC]

Your bird has probably grown out of this by now but it seems like there's always one in the group that shouts it's head off. When I get a chick that likes to shout and chirp I will take our spare tablet, plug it in near thw brooder and play ambient chicken sounds. Especially ones with a content mother hen and chicks.

lol…. Yeah…. No. She’s still loud. She’s LESS loud, less often, but boy howdy does she know how to make noise. She just wants me, wants me around and wants me to take her out of the brooder and love on her (though half the time she still chirps as I’m holding her). I have added a ton of enrichment projects and activities for them (outdoor time, running around my kitchen as house chickens, “foraging ” for kale on towels in the kitchen, bird toys, watching undersea documentaries and Pixar movies-
They didn’t like chicken noises I tried). But yeah… Anne is still the loudest.

But I’ve also learned to “hear” the others. Mrs Stacey has a soft double peep, Marilla and Mrs Lynde have these odd raspy buzz trills, and the others just peep like Anne but much softer. It’s fun to know who’s calling for me, but Anne is still on a “most of the day urgent peep fest”

 

[klb25]

I’m trying to not lose my mind with one of my Chicks- she WONT STOP CHIRPING! This isn’t a little peeping like all her brooder mates, this an almost a “help me” peep, but she doesn’t need any kind of help. It’s a “louder than the rest, if a strobe light had a sound it would be this peeping” kind of peep. You know those little plastic chick toys that you hold on your hand that makes an electrical connection and chirps at you? Yeah, sounds almost exactally like that (& just as loud). And she’s been doing it every day since we got her (a week ago). What is wrong? What can I do to make her stop?

A few info bits about her:
-1.5 week old Orpington (as well as her 5 other cage mates )
-she is eating, drinking, snacking, scratching, sleeping and acting just like the others. She’s growing at pace with all the others and getting feathers on schedule and all of them are healthy (no pasty butt or even a sneeze!)
-not being bulled or picked on (she’s actually number 3 in the pecking order, but none of them are actually pushy).
- we have a Brinsea heat plate they sleep under- and we use a dim nightlight in the room for bedtime & we slowly brighten and darken the room with the suns schedule so they have as regular a schedule as we can give them. So she’s not sleep deprived or forced under a 24/7 brooder light (& I also have a night vision baby monitor on them at night and can see they are getting lots of sleep).
- she’s gets just as much love and cuddles as the rest of them, all the attention she wants (we pick her up and hold her when she runs to us, and put her back when she indicates she has had enough). I give them all equal love and one on one time and she’s always happy to be held, but we put her down when she wants it.
- she’s brave- none of them are afraid, but she’s is the first to investigate something new.

So basically, she’s a happy, well cared for chick, but she just won’t stop the noise. And when I’ve taken her to another room for cuddles, it’s amazing how quiet and gentle the brooder sounds with just the other chicks making happy peeps.

I hold her, and give her love thinking she needs extra attention: sometimes that makes her stop, but half the time she keeps peeping the entire time I’m holding her. I’ve tried ignoring it (doesn’t help) I’ve tried giving extra love, that doesn’t help, I’ve even gently reprimanded her in soothing tones and tried shushing her but… she just won’t shut up! I love and adore her, but it’s goes from 7am to 9pm and it’s a lot of non stop strobe light chirping that’s 3 times or more as loud as a normal cheep. I gave them a few mirrors and she likes to stand there, but sometimes it seems to make it worse so I take them away. I give toys and roost bars and she sits on them and plays, but still cheeps. She does it even as she’s eating. She only stops when she’s dead asleep.

Is this normal? And will she grow out of it? Because if she’s going to be like this as an adult, I can’t have that. I’m not keeping any roosters because we can’t have the noise here. Any advice on what to try? I love and adore her, but it’s like having a colicky baby and everyone in the house is going nuts.

I just read this whole thread. She sounds like quite a character! I also just wanted to say that I absolutely love the names. Definitely kindred spirits!

 

[aart]

We named it Banshee.