Hoping someone can help me out with this chick...
I have 29 week-old chicks in a large brooder and one of the SS (which is actually smaller than anyone else!) is incessantly pecking at everyone else's feathers. I've not seen it rip out feathers or draw any blood and it's not going after blood-filled new shafts...it's picking at the downy feathers that are on the other birds' chests mostly.
But I did have one chick (BO) yesterday with a completely bare and bloodied tail. I feel like that chick may be doing some of that to itself and I've isolated it and have been treating it. I put it back in this morning with liberal blue-kote and some pine tar on it's butt and it doesn't seem to be as obssessed with its own tail as it was yesterday. The other chicks get a whiff of the pine tar and leave it alone but it's its own worst enemy.
I posted in the emergency forums about the BO injured chick but didn't get any answer yet...when I would try to put it back in with the other chicks with all the stuff on it, it would peck at itself and scream and cause the other chicks to get totally riled up. This morning it seems better and aside from it picking at itself the other chicks don't want much to do with it. I think the goo on its bum may have been making it torture itself but I'm not sure. It doesn't peck at anyone else. It doesn't want to eat much and freaks out when it's in isolation. It can see the other chicks but not get to them. I'm monitoring it this morning since I've put it back in. It did eat quite a bit of hard-boiled egg yesterday in isolation though.
Now I have the SS chick isolated. If I'm having trouble with pecking, I don't want that one starting anything. It's the only one doing this and it just seems obsessed. Could this be a bird that just won't quit this type of behavior even with added protein, plenty of room, things to do, etc? I hate to cull it but I don't want to deal with cannibalism either.
I'd be happy to give it away but I don't want it screwing up someone else's flock either. Oh, and it only seems obsessed with the lighter colored chicks...LB and BO. I haven't noticed it doing it to the BR or SLW or other SS.
I was giving them treats and it may be that it was displacing too much of their protein. I've been giving them yogurt and some hard-boiled egg since yesterday and no more starchy treats. They were getting some cooked rice and a little oatmeal...small amounts and they loved it.
I also changed from the 20% protein Kent starter feed I started them on to an 18% Purina Sunfresh Starter and moved them into double-the-size quarters Saturday. They went from shredded paper bedding to pine shavings at that time as well. I changed the feed gradually but have been somewhat concerned about the lower protein. It seems like other folks like this feed but I dunno. They're sprouting new feathers like crazy!
They have a red light on most of the time and when it's really warm at night (I also have an electric heater in the room with them and can keep it pretty warm in there) I turn out all lights. They were stressed Friday during the day from a bit too much heat (it was 80 here!) and I lost one bird but the others are fine except for this. That sucked really bad and I'm still kicking myself for it. I knew better and didn't listen to my "gut" telling me to turn out the light for the day when I left for work. The heater wasn't on, btw, but still....
The SS has been doing this for awhile now...before any of these changes/stressors happened.
Any ideas? I would really appreciate it!
I have 29 week-old chicks in a large brooder and one of the SS (which is actually smaller than anyone else!) is incessantly pecking at everyone else's feathers. I've not seen it rip out feathers or draw any blood and it's not going after blood-filled new shafts...it's picking at the downy feathers that are on the other birds' chests mostly.
But I did have one chick (BO) yesterday with a completely bare and bloodied tail. I feel like that chick may be doing some of that to itself and I've isolated it and have been treating it. I put it back in this morning with liberal blue-kote and some pine tar on it's butt and it doesn't seem to be as obssessed with its own tail as it was yesterday. The other chicks get a whiff of the pine tar and leave it alone but it's its own worst enemy.
I posted in the emergency forums about the BO injured chick but didn't get any answer yet...when I would try to put it back in with the other chicks with all the stuff on it, it would peck at itself and scream and cause the other chicks to get totally riled up. This morning it seems better and aside from it picking at itself the other chicks don't want much to do with it. I think the goo on its bum may have been making it torture itself but I'm not sure. It doesn't peck at anyone else. It doesn't want to eat much and freaks out when it's in isolation. It can see the other chicks but not get to them. I'm monitoring it this morning since I've put it back in. It did eat quite a bit of hard-boiled egg yesterday in isolation though.
Now I have the SS chick isolated. If I'm having trouble with pecking, I don't want that one starting anything. It's the only one doing this and it just seems obsessed. Could this be a bird that just won't quit this type of behavior even with added protein, plenty of room, things to do, etc? I hate to cull it but I don't want to deal with cannibalism either.
I was giving them treats and it may be that it was displacing too much of their protein. I've been giving them yogurt and some hard-boiled egg since yesterday and no more starchy treats. They were getting some cooked rice and a little oatmeal...small amounts and they loved it.
I also changed from the 20% protein Kent starter feed I started them on to an 18% Purina Sunfresh Starter and moved them into double-the-size quarters Saturday. They went from shredded paper bedding to pine shavings at that time as well. I changed the feed gradually but have been somewhat concerned about the lower protein. It seems like other folks like this feed but I dunno. They're sprouting new feathers like crazy!
They have a red light on most of the time and when it's really warm at night (I also have an electric heater in the room with them and can keep it pretty warm in there) I turn out all lights. They were stressed Friday during the day from a bit too much heat (it was 80 here!) and I lost one bird but the others are fine except for this. That sucked really bad and I'm still kicking myself for it. I knew better and didn't listen to my "gut" telling me to turn out the light for the day when I left for work. The heater wasn't on, btw, but still....
The SS has been doing this for awhile now...before any of these changes/stressors happened.
Any ideas? I would really appreciate it!
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