To spank or not to spank...

[ChickityChina]

Okay, first of all, before you report me to PETA, I would never spank a chicken...

Being my first time raising from chicks, I have questions about behavior. My chicks are 3 days old and they are rambunctious. I know chicks normally flit about and hop all over the place exploring, but when it comes to the other chicks, sometimes the interactions are a tiny bit concerning.

My three Easter Eggers will run and "leapfrog" others, including the other EEs. They sometimes just walk up behind them and pounce on top. I don't know if they are just playing or trying to get past them or what, but I want to make sure this is not an aggressive type behavior that I need to curb.

Almost all of my chicks will also tap at each others beaks. They will peck it the little nub at the end of another chicks beak. Occasionally, one will try to nip at an eye if they see it blinking. I have seen a couple times when a chick will be preening its little wings, another chick will come up and watch then try to nip at a wingtip. They don't keep at it. It's just a peck then they run off in search of more interesting things. It seems to me that they are going after things that look like potential food, but I am not 100% certain.

Are these things that I need to watch out for? Or is my gut right and it's just that "kids will be kids"?

Thanks veterans!

 

[Pork Pie]

It's what chicks do, so don't worry. Re: eyes - they shine and anything shiny is fair game to a chick - they even try that on their mothers! They are a lot more resilient than we think.

Enjoy the craziness!

CT

 

[ChickityChina]

It's what chicks do, so don't worry. Re: eyes - they shine and anything shiny is fair game to a chick - they even try that on their mothers! They are a lot more resilient than we think.

Enjoy the craziness!

CT

Thanks Ken! Yeah I have noticed that they always like to nip at my wedding band as soon as I get them in my palm. They keep on trying it like maybe eventually it will become edible.

 

[Blooie]

Want to have a little fun with them while encouraging some curiosity without using their flockmates as guinea pigs? Toss a few very large marbles in there! The first time I had chicks, I had their waterer all set up before I read on here that I needed to put marbles in it to keep them from drowning. So, okay - I went out and bought a bag of large marbles. While putting them in the water, I dropped a few of them in the pen. They ran like their hineys were on fire at first, but then one chick went back over and pecked at the marble. It moved. From then on it was "Game ON"! I got concerned that I might be encouraging aggression in them, and even posted the question on here, but nobody seemed to think it was a big deal as long as they couldn't get hurt. So I left the marbles in there, and they played with them all the time. I noticed that they were so busy playing marbles that they forgot to peck at each other so much. Just a thought.......

 

[Pork Pie]

Marbles v spanking - interesting options (hehe)

 

[Blooie]

Decisions, decisions!

 

[ChickityChina]

Marbles! What a great idea Blooie! I will try this. I wonder if one of those little jingly bells will work too? They might like the bell - or it might scare them. Not sure. What a cute idea though - thank you!

 

[Blooie]

It was just an accident, but one that I learned a valuable lesson from, I'll tell ya! Now that they are grown up, I do the same thing with those wire suet feeder cages. In winter I'll stuff a few of them full of apples, homemade suet - whatever I can cram in there and still get the cage doors closed. Then I hang them in the run at different levels. Occupies them for a long time during those long winter days when boredom can cause feather picking, egg eating, and other undesirable activities. In summer I stuff them with water melon chunks, frozen veggies - anything I have on hand. They seem to appreciate treats more if they have to work for them.

 

[ChickityChina]

It was just an accident, but one that I learned a valuable lesson from, I'll tell ya! Now that they are grown up, I do the same thing with those wire suet feeder cages. In winter I'll stuff a few of them full of apples, homemade suet - whatever I can cram in there and still get the cage doors closed. Then I hang them in the run at different levels. Occupies them for a long time during those long winter days when boredom can cause feather picking, egg eating, and other undesirable activities. In summer I stuff them with water melon chunks, frozen veggies - anything I have on hand. They seem to appreciate treats more if they have to work for them.

You are a treasure trove of ideas! I can't wait until they are out in the coop/run and I can hang treats - I especially like the tetherball-cabbage I have seen around too!

 

[RodNTN]

This behavior is perfectly normal, my chicks used to do the EXACT same thing. Especially one of my silkie chicks. They would peck the other chicks eyes, beaks, etc. They will quit once they get in their run and coop- believe me! I thought it would never end but it does!