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pecking?

post #1 of 4
4/28/12 at 3:38am
Thread Starter 

our littlest barred rock (3 weeks old, same age as others but almost 1/2 the size of our biggest chicks) is starting to peck at others. first it seemed to be just when they would get fresh food - she would try and snag stuff from other chicks beaks. now my partner says it looks like she is starting to move from beak exclusivity to pecking the general face area. 

they have plenty of food available to them, and we switch water out a lot. there are 8 chicks total and their current home is rather large and gives them room to try and learn to fly (which they love to do!) and they have a little roost they all enjoy to play on. 

 

any suggestions? ideas?  should we pull her away for a little bit?

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post #2 of 4
4/28/12 at 4:34am

My chicks do that a lot too, I wouldn't worry about it I believe this is normal chick behavior, though, you might want to watch that chick if it is so small. There could be something wrong with it, or it could be hurt by the bigger chicks.

A word of adivice, if you don't already I'd recommend getting a red heating light so that the chicks don't go crazy whenever they see red. (Like blood on another chicken, this will lead to cannibalism)

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post #3 of 4
4/28/12 at 2:16pm
Thread Starter 

yes - i think that we will continue to keep an eye on her. 

even though she is the small one, she seems to be the aggressive one, for sure!

 

we do use a red light - so that shouldn't be an issue. 

 

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post #4 of 4
4/28/12 at 3:51pm
I would keep some Blue Kote on hand. If any blood does get drawn a dab of it will hide the red color. What is the size of your brooder? For 8 chicks you should have at least 4x4 or 16 sq ft. right now and I still make it bigger just because crowding can cause excessive pecking. Good luck. thumbsup.gif

TIME is the best thing to spend on a child!
Always calibrate your hygrometer before you incubate!!

Home to Black East Indies, Mandarins, Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock, Golden Buffs, Welsummers, Ameraucanas, Black Australorp, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Two Weimaraners, Two beautiful daughters and a great DH who builds whatever I need!

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TIME is the best thing to spend on a child!
Always calibrate your hygrometer before you incubate!!

Home to Black East Indies, Mandarins, Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock, Golden Buffs, Welsummers, Ameraucanas, Black Australorp, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Two Weimaraners, Two beautiful daughters and a great DH who builds whatever I need!

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