CX gone crazy? Please help

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

We have been really rainy today and my meaties have lost their minds!! I went out to check on them and they are all fighting. 4 of them are all bloody and one has an open wound on the side of his face. Should I clean them up with hydrogen peroxide and use antibiotic ointment on the open wounds? Can I keep the 4 hurt ones together in the smaller side of the coop? Ugh, you would think that the heat would whack them out, not the rain!!

Why would they all of the sudden start fighting with each other? They are almost 5 weeks old and I have 40 of them in a 12x8 tractor.

 

[mcf3kids]

I don't have experience behind me but I would separate the 4 bloodied ones so that no others get in on this and /or become bloodied. Mine are the same age but this is my first batch and we took one out today because its leg got injured (we think by us) and we wanted to let it heal stress free. Good luck - I will stay posted to hear if you get more answers from experienced cornish raisers/.

 

[itsy]

Perhaps the rain made them all run to the covered side of your tractor and they got mad at one another from all of the piling on and decided to fight about it?

I don't know much about treating wounds, but I keep blue kote on hand as well as one other product I got at my Agway. I had to use those items on the backs of my pullets as they were growing up because they would bloody one another's backs when pulling out feathers. I'm glad that stopped!

I'm sure others will be along with advice. Are the injured ones big enough to process?

 

[Tracydr]

It seems like forty eight square feet for forty Birds is sort of cramped. That's just a little over one square foot per bird. I wonder if , as they get bigger, they're getting too crowded?
I've never had problems with aggression, even with peachicks, guineas, pheasant or quail ( haven't raised very many pheasant, though), but I give them lots if space. The other thing to look at is not only protein percentage of the feed but protein quality. If this continues, I would switch feeds. If the protein quality is lacking, cannibalism can become severe, along with poor growth and feathering.
How's their weight, health and feathers? Are they getting new, fresh grass and greens daily? Sometimes processed feed loses it's nutrition quality, especially vitamins A, and the B-complex, which some fresh greens, sprouts and good pasture can help make up.

 

[sharol]

My thought was also that they were a little crowded (thought I came up with 96 sq ft -- about 2.5 sq ft per bird). When will you butcher? I was under the impression that meaties were butchered before they got very old. Do you have any way to give them more room?

 

[Tracydr]

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Oops, I thought I read 12x4. It was 12x 8 or 96 square feet. Still kind of crowded.

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

I figured that if BigRedFeather can put 70 in a 10x10 I should be really safe with 40 in a 12x8. They appear to have plenty of room. 3/4ths of the tractor is covered with tin so they should have had enough room to stay dry.

They are 5 weeks today and we will probably butcher at 8 to 10 weeks.

 

[sharol]

Well, teenagers have those crazy moments sometimes.

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[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

Well, I found the juvenile delinquent and he is currently in chicken jail by himself. He is in the main coop in the part that I had set up as a brooder. He is not a happy little cockerel!!! Should I leave him in there for a few days and then put him back in the tractor or should I put another one in with him? He won't be alone completely because all of the girls are on the other side and he can see them through the wire.

 

[Tracydr]

He'll eat better and gain weight faster if he has a companion. Just make sure it's somebody who won't put up with any crap from him.