Chick won’t STOP CHIRPING!!

[LaurenRitz]

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

 

[cundare]

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.

 

[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!).

 

[LaurenRitz]

Maybe put her in time-out, like putting a small box over her? You said she shuts up at night, so maybe 5 minutes in the dark?

 

[canne50]

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.

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!

 

[cundare]

I'll be interested to learn what kind of adult she turns into. Is this unusual infant behavior a predictor that she'll be an unusual adult?

 

[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]

I'll be interested to learn what kind of adult she turns into. Is this unusual infant behavior a predictor that she'll be an unusual adult?

I’ll have to update as she ages (if we don’t send her back!). I love her and want to keep her, but the entire point of not having a rooster is to have a quiet flock and she’s a strobe light of sound. I’ve been told that she might grow and settle into herself and quiet down. I’ve been doing a LOT of enrichment the last week or so (new see thru brooder, up on a table so they can see all. Trips outside in a bottomless cage for pecking fun, hanging toys to peck at, and even yesterday I set up my iPad with tropical aquarium video and peaceful music for a few hours while I was out of the house.) some of that seems to be helping- she’s not high strung but maybe she’s just bursting at the seams to live her life and I’m constraining her?

But she needs to pipe down or she will be a pullet in someone else’s coop (which will break my heart- but I need a quiet coop due to being stealthy about having chickens in this neighborhood).

 

[cundare]

I bet she does settle down, although it might take a month or two. Whatever is driving her behavior could well be a function of how small and helpless she is at the moment. Then again, as she matures, the endless chirping may evolve into something even louder and more relentless! I guess only time will tell.

I understandt that it takes a special commitment tocare for a special-needs bird. But those are the ones that can be most satisfying to own, and most likely to forge a strong relationship with you.

My 2c.

 

[akitafriendakita]

I have a chick right now that shoves itself full of food until it's way too full, then screams for help/attention. I've found the only way to settle it down is to make it drink water, massage its crop gently, sometimes offer coconut oil.

Just commenting if your chick has the same problem, some seem to scream when they're uncomfortable for a little while.

I've had some in the past that are just really whiny and needy too, not a huge deal but they do grow out of it eventually. My last whiner turned into a whiny pullet who wanted help all the time up until around when she started laying, she's independent now and doesn't whine for me anymore. She has a louder voice than others still though.