how to reintroduce pecked chicks back to group

[momx4plus8]

I have 7 six-week-old chicks. A few days ago one of the chicks was pecked on her backside until bleeding. I separated her and put Blue Kote on her. The next day another chick was being pecked; so I put her with the other injured one.

Today I tried putting the less injured chick back with the others and as soon as I set her down, the others started pecking her where the Blue Kote was. They've only been separated about 3 days so it may be too early to reintroduce them; but how can I do it?

I have 6 older hens in the coop and I want to be moving this new batch into the coop (in a protected area at first). I would rather introduce all 7 new ones at the same time.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[jellodirt]

I just found a dead chick this morning that had little bloody spots all over. I came on her to ask what could have caused it. Your post explains it.

 

[debid]

How large of a space are your chicks in? This kind of behavior isn't healthy and is often a sign of extreme crowding (although it could be a bully in the batch...)

They will peck at stuff that "doesn't look normal". Blu-kote masks the red but it still doesn't look normal. You need to wait until the chick is healed before tossing it back in with the rest. If you can house the injured chicks within sight but not direct contact, reintroduction should go more smoothly later.

 

[momx4plus8]

Thank you. They were too crowded, especially since this bunch seems quite a bit more active than last year's batch. I have since moved the larger group into a large cardboard box (from a large gas grill). They are definitely better now with more space. I'll have to figure a way to put the chicks in sight of each other. They're in my dining room and I'm running out of space in there.