Hello! I wanted to add to my flock so last week I got 2 1 day old EE chicks. They're in an extra large storage bin in my bathtub. I noticed yesterday that one of the chicks was very aggressively pecking at the eyes and vent of the other. The victim ended up with a (not bleeding) boo boo on her tush. I separated them and got some pine tar. That had no affect. So after a night of the (ahem) pecker peeping loudly I got no sleep, I went to the feed store and talked to them. They recommended another no peck lotion "pick-no-more" which I reluctantly bought and tried to no avail yet again. They also suggested debeaking which I feel conflicted about. I bought another chick (a Columbian Rock Cross) to keep the pecked one company. So does anybody have another suggestion? Cause right now I'm looking at debeaking or culling. Thanks in advance!
Hi Glad you could join us here! Sorry to hear your having trouble with pecking. Is the chick that's been picked on got a clean butt? Sometimes if they get poop stuck on it (pasty butt) this can cause the others to peck at it. I've experienced this but once the chick was cleaned up and fluffy agian there was nothing to encourage pecking anymore. I'm afraid even in young chicks they start the pecking order quite early. There is also the raising chicks section that you can pop over to, here is the link ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/11/raising-baby-chicks Members there should be able to help you further. Good luck and enjoy BYC
Thanks so much for getting back to me, I will check out your link momentarily. Yes I do check their butts for that very reason and yes they're all clean. Except now not so much with the pine tar and other goop I had to put all over her tush
I think we used something called Gentine Violet http://www.amazon.com/Gentian-Violet-PACK-BOTTELS-Sanvall/dp/B00GR8EM4O which seemed to work for our chickens. It isn't the prettiest stuff and I don't recall it smelling all that great but it worked for ours! For some reason chicks and chickens pick repetitively at things they find interesting until they are to the point in which it bleeds and then they get the taste of blood and you really have to watch them because they will pick the flesh down to the bone (we had a chicken that it happened to, the skin and feathers eventually grew back normally over the area that was picked off)! I have noticed shiny or red/inflamed things seem to draw their attention where as with the Gentine violets purplish color (when applied on the affected area) seems to help them loose their interest on the certain area. It has been about 6 years since I have had to break out my bottle of it and use it on a hen so you might try that.. Do you use a red bulb or a white bulb? I have heard that with using a white bulb chickens are able to specifically target the red on the others where as the red bulb spreads the red tint everywhere reducing the interest to a bare minimum. So that could be another option..
Please don't debeak the chick. That is a horrible thing for them. If the bully aggravates you(and chicks) so much, please rehome him instead.
