I've been hatching and raising for 5+ years, and today, our new batch of 13 (lucky, right?) started pecking each other to bleeding status. This is the first time I've encountered this problem. They were hatched 7/21/13 (numero uno)-7/23/13. Exactly one month old, Marans (cuckoo) mutts. They started going out last week, for a bit during the day, and I let them have bigger reign today, and maybe it overly stressed them out? I've got two bloody babes, which I put into a separate enclosure for the night. What to do? Send them to their new homes? It seems too early, but they definitely cannot remain in the same enclosure for any longer. They have gotten a taste of their buddies...and they liked it (ugh). How do I best treat the injured, and prevent further pecking?
Use Blu Kote or something similar on wounds they already have to help stop them picking on them. Are you sure it was the month olds doing it to each other, there aren't any older chickens there? If they are, it does sound like they need to be separated or are too crowded. You could try giving them more to do in their enclosure if you can't give them a bigger area (put hay or straw or something down for them to scratch in etc to keep them entertained). You may also have a bully chick or one that is causing most of the problems, if you can identify it and remove it, the others may be ok for awhile longer.
