Ack! My Adult Chickens Are Trying To Kill One Of My Chicks!

[Poocheze]

I guess you'd call it a pullet now? Anyway, my husband just found my adult egg layers pecking one of my meat chickens. It now has about a 2 inch spot where they've plucked all it's feathers, through the skin and down to the "meat".

How in the world do I stop them from doing this? Is this normal behaviour? And what do I do to save this little guy?

 

[luvchicks8]

My rooster is doing the same thing to all my pullets he won't let them put of the run, He will go to great lenths to attack them

 

[Poocheze]

That's exactly where it happened, outside of the coop. This is the second time this particular chick has been attacked, but this is definitely the most serious. The first time was just a couple of feathers.

I wonder if maybe he's sensing another rooster??

 

[luvchicks8]

I'm not sure because mine are all hens and my rooster attacks them bad he holds them down and pecks there heads and eyes I have to get the hose as soon as I try to let the 4 pullets out.

 

[threehorses]

Were the chicks raised by the hen? If not, then just separate them. It's best for their immunity anyway.

They will kill them.

 

[luvchicks8]

None of mine were hatched here by a hen I bought them from a farm some he excepted some he won't

 

[threehorses]

Honestly I'm surprised he accepted any. They usually don't. I would still separate them until they're 4 months of age. They're competition for his hens' attention. And immunologically, they're not ready for the adults' carried bugs.

 

[purplepoen]

What you can do to help the chicken-I had the same thing happen to one of my girls when I was trying to add her to a different flock. I rinsed off the wound and put her in a seperate box so her flockmates didn't notice it and peck at her more. I kept the bedding clean and put asprin in her water. After a while the wound scabbed up and then regrew fethers. Now you can't even tell there was ever anything wrong with that spot.
As for how to stop the other chicken from going after her again, I don't know. I never did get the other flock to accept my chicken so she stays with her original flock. I wish I could help you there.

I hope this helps