Constantly Chirping Chicks!!

[thegoodishlife]

Hello!

On Saturday we brought home 4 x 1 week old chicks. After some initial worries they have settled in fine, and are seemingly quite happy in our makeshift brooder - a cardboard box lined with newspaper, a feeder & drinker, and a 60W lamp shining into one corner.

However, one thing we have noticed is that they constantly cheep! It's not a horrible noise, and I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering if it's normal? We've never had chicks before, hence the questions.

For clarity, they are 2 x gold laced orpingtons, 1 x blue splash orpington and 1 x unknown! (Black and white markings, will post a photo when she's a bit older so we can play "guess the breed" )

Are they huddled under the lamp? Chicks cheep loudly when cold. If they're spread about the brooder, scratching, eating/drinking and preening, they're likely just to be noisy

Yes they usually huddle under the lamp - I've lowered it as much as I can without them getting burnt, and they're still doing it trust me to pick noisy ones

If they're huddled, they're cold. Is the brooder in a draft?

Not as far as I'm aware - but it is on a wooden floor, hmmm I think I'll put a blanket underneath it, maybe that could be the problem?

(thank you by the way )

Yeah, that might work At a week old, they're still not overly feathered. Chicks that are warm enough will wander away from the heat to explore etc. They should also be a bit quieter

Yep, even just watching them for 5 minutes I can tell they are happier - and quieter

Also have managed to determine the unknown chick as an Australorp!

You have quite a mixture there!

I know - they are all so pretty though. I'd never even heard of an Australorp, I just googled "chick breeds" and a photo of one identical to what we have was the first result!