Jannbo
Chirping
- May 19, 2023
- 94
- 108
- 86
So I have 4 coturnix chicks that are just now 10 days old. They've been fine mostly besides not liking it when I move them to clean their brooder and one being extremely vocal. That one that is extremely vocal is really concerning me tonight. He's stayed a lot smaller than the others and his feathers haven't developed much since he was 8 while his siblings have all continued to grow and develop more feathers. All through today he's been just fine though, eating, drinking, pooping and sleeping like normal. He hasn't been stretching his wings like the others though or trying to flap them while jumping like the others started doing earlier today. I didn't pay much mind to this, just figured he's a bit of a late bloomer/the runt.
Its well past when they've usually been fast asleep right now and he's been crying for the past few hours while his siblings are trudging to sleep. He's running around the brooder while he cries, trying to go to the cooler side and snuggle with them, but they get up when that happens. He'll then run back over to the warm side and quietly cry for a few moments before falling asleep for a few minutes. Despite complete silence and darkness, he'll wake up again and start all over. Occasionally he'll quiet down when I make soft kissing noises and speak gently, but that only works maybe 50% of the time. The rest of the time he just keeps going. His crying is a mix between almost panicked chirps and that distressed cry they'll do when they're looking for their momma.
Since all his siblings have more developed feathers, they're not liking the warmer temps, but he still needs them, so they're having to stay on opposite sides of the brooder while the less developed chick desperately wants to be with his siblings. Right now I have the brooder at 89°F which was fine for all of them earlier today, but now all but that smallest one clearly could use a cooler temperature.
I can't just take the little guy and put him in another brooder that's warmer while lowering the temp in the main one for the other chicks. He would just be crying all night long and hearing the smaller one panicking even more would most likely just keep the other chicks awake all night. He seems to have calmed down mostly, but he is still waking up and chirping like he's distressed every now and then. I know that picking him up makes him freak out so I don't think that would be a great idea for calming him or warming him up, but I've only ever held him for a few seconds to move him so I can clean their brooder.
It seems tonight it might have just worked out by letting him tire himself out, but I'm worried that the same issue will happen tomorrow tonight and I want to be prepared for how top deal with it if it happens tomorrow or picks back up tonight
Its well past when they've usually been fast asleep right now and he's been crying for the past few hours while his siblings are trudging to sleep. He's running around the brooder while he cries, trying to go to the cooler side and snuggle with them, but they get up when that happens. He'll then run back over to the warm side and quietly cry for a few moments before falling asleep for a few minutes. Despite complete silence and darkness, he'll wake up again and start all over. Occasionally he'll quiet down when I make soft kissing noises and speak gently, but that only works maybe 50% of the time. The rest of the time he just keeps going. His crying is a mix between almost panicked chirps and that distressed cry they'll do when they're looking for their momma.
Since all his siblings have more developed feathers, they're not liking the warmer temps, but he still needs them, so they're having to stay on opposite sides of the brooder while the less developed chick desperately wants to be with his siblings. Right now I have the brooder at 89°F which was fine for all of them earlier today, but now all but that smallest one clearly could use a cooler temperature.
I can't just take the little guy and put him in another brooder that's warmer while lowering the temp in the main one for the other chicks. He would just be crying all night long and hearing the smaller one panicking even more would most likely just keep the other chicks awake all night. He seems to have calmed down mostly, but he is still waking up and chirping like he's distressed every now and then. I know that picking him up makes him freak out so I don't think that would be a great idea for calming him or warming him up, but I've only ever held him for a few seconds to move him so I can clean their brooder.
It seems tonight it might have just worked out by letting him tire himself out, but I'm worried that the same issue will happen tomorrow tonight and I want to be prepared for how top deal with it if it happens tomorrow or picks back up tonight
