1-week olds pecking & drawing blood

[Sandrachx]

last night found 1 ck bleeding in wing area. cleaned it up + put in cage to recupe. this a.m. another is being attacked. what to do? (ck sleeping in my hand now-hard typing)

 

[DanasChicks]

Hi Sandrachx,

Many times if the chicks are pecking each other it is a sign of over crowding or boredom. You can put grass clippings (I just go outside and grab a handful of fresh tender grass, weeds, some dirt and what-have-you out of the yard) for them to pick at. They love that. You can also find a thick stick to put in the brooder. We came across some nice curvy branches last year in the river that was worn down and the bark fully removed, like beach wood, but any stick will do. The chicks like to climb on it and jump off it. You can also give them some watermelon, lettuce leaves, raspberries and even oatmeal mixed with yogurt or milk to soften it up. Chicks love whole grain feed like full grown hen do, which they pick through. They enjoy almost all the same things the outdoors chickens would. The more things they have to do, the less likely they will have time to pick on each other

 

[Sandrachx]

Hi Sandrachx,

Many times if the chicks are pecking each other it is a sign of over crowding or boredom. You can put grass clippings (I just go outside and grab a handful of fresh tender grass, weeds, some dirt and what-have-you out of the yard) for them to pick at. They love that. You can also find a thick stick to put in the brooder. We came across some nice curvy branches last year in the river that was worn down and the bark fully removed, like beach wood, but any stick will do. The chicks like to climb on it and jump off it. You can also give them some watermelon, lettuce leaves, raspberries and even oatmeal mixed with yogurt or milk to soften it up. Chicks love whole grain feed like full grown hen do, which they pick through. They enjoy almost all the same things the outdoors chickens would. The more things they have to do, the less likely they will have time to pick on each other

thanks - i now have 4 chicks sequestered. they have blue kote on them (as well as i have blue kote on me!!) and i'm hoping they will heal up fast. i'll try your idea and give them clover, etc. i've just never had this in 1-week old chicks - especially the turkey chicks. i've also turned off the lights in the garage, dimmed their box with window screens to reduce lighting, and increased the protein in their feed; only have their red heat lamp on. fingers are crossed!!!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Hi Sandrachx,

Many times if the chicks are pecking each other it is a sign of over crowding or boredom.

90% of the issues right there. Also, a red light reduces their ability to see blood and often calms them Bigger, much bigger brooder is often the cure. I use the red lights found at Lowes, etc. They have them in 75 watt, 100 watt, etc. Not much need for the big old 250 watt jobs this time of year.

 

[Sandrachx]

thanks. we have 25 chicks in a 4x4 brooder in the garage, a light at one end and their feed/water evenly distributed to the other end. it seems plenty big enough at this stage (one week old). if i separate them into two groups (white/bronze), won't that create an issue when i transfer them to their pen outside? i'm concerned pecking would start all over again being they won't remember their original flock. what if i add another brooder, divided by a screen? then they would see each other but have more room. how about that?

 

[DanasChicks]

You are right about one thing, they definitely know who their flock mates are. That's evident at a very young age. If you elect to separate them now to provide more space, they will be only a 4 - 6 weeks old by the time they will be fully feathered. I doubt you would see too much pecking going on once outside. There's so much to do and they will still be quite young. The outdoor transition shouldn't even be noticeable. You can always experiment with a few ideas provided to find out what will work to best to keep them happy and a bit entertained for now. There's no guarantee they won't stop pecking with more room. Several articles have been written about the chicks pecking out of boredom. I haven't ever experience a pecking issue, but I have always provided some additional fun things for mine to pick, poke and climb on in their brooder, even in cramped quarters.

 

[retlaw]

You can try hanging things in the brooder so they are not bored.
They would pick at the objects hanging instead of each other.