Please help!! My chicks are freaking out and I have no idea why

[swigginwhiskey]

I've been checking on them since around sundown. They've been acting like this for about 3ish hours. I just introduced them to their coop almost a week ago now. They've never done this. It's a tin roof barn with this coop off to the side. Do you guys think maybe it's the sound of the rain? I have checked every corner of the coop twice now, 1 hour apart. All around the coop, inside, food, water, heat... I've checked everything. I'm worried somethings wrong. It's dry in the center (the edges of the coop tend to pool some water when heavy rain), they're not wet or getting rain on them, etc. Please, someone, ease my mind about this. Please see this link to a video I uploaded to YT:

Thank you!!! Please help!! I'm freaking out!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Could they be cold? Hungry? Need some white light so they can see to eat and drink?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How long have you had them? How old are they? What do they normally do at sundown?

 

[swigginwhiskey]

Could they be cold? Hungry? Need some white light so they can see to eat and drink?

It's about 60 out and they're 6/5 weeks old. They've got a heat lamp, food, water. They were just eating/drinking last time it was sun up and I checked on them.

How long have you had them? How old are they? What do they normally do at sundown?

Sundown? Not sure. I just introduced them to their coop almost a week ago now, so I've had them locked in there. I plan on at exactly a week to start letting them oit an hour before sundown, 2 hours, etc to make sure they know to get back to the coop.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Could they be too hot? At 5 - 6 weeks old, they should be just about fully feathered. I see you have a heat lamp on them. Do you have a thermometer? Check the temp under the lamp and also at the coolest spot in the brooder, far away from the lamp. They need to be able to get away from the heat if necessary.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If it's more than about 70° at the coolest spot, either raise the heat lamp or angle it to make part of the brooder cooler.

 

[swigginwhiskey]

Could they be too hot? At 5 - 6 weeks old, they should be just about fully feathered. I see you have a heat lamp on them. Do you have a thermometer? Check the temp under the lamp and also at the coolest spot in the brooder, far away from the lamp. They need to be able to get away from the heat if necessary.

They're not in a brooder. Attached is a pic of my coop in daylight. They have ample space. I only just added a lamp today because the temp is supposed to get down to 30-50 F over the next several days. It's been 65 low to 85 high for about 4 days now.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Shoot us a picture of the coop or brooder or whatever they're in. Use regular white light.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Okay, I see, thanks. But you say it's raining and it's a metal roof? And this is a sound they've not heard before?

 

[swigginwhiskey]

Okay, I see, thanks. But you say it's raining and it's a metal roof? And this is a sound they've not heard before?

They've heard it once before, but I don't think it's been this severe. It is a very loud sound to be honest when the rain is bad, in that small, enclosed space. I'm kinda wondering if maybe that's what it is?