2 week old chick with issue

[Island Juli]

I live in Hawaii where temps are mid to high 80's during the day and 70 at night. My 30 just over 2 week old chicks have been outside in the this pen for a week now. I just turned off the heat lamp yesterday and they have a heating pad, but rarely use it, even at night. The top of the pen has deer netting so they can't fly out and the holes are small enough they can't fit through them

They have plenty of space, water and food. I check them every day several times for pasty butt and any other issues.

Nothing until this morning. One has had her backside pecked and plucked raw. I took her out and have her isolated in a box with food and a stuffed animal. I can't get to town until tomorrow to get some Blue Kote. Anything I can do for her until then? She is so unhappy by herself.

 

[junebuggena]

What are you feeding?

 

[Island Juli]

Just Purina medicated chick starter and water. I would assume they are finding maybe small bugs in the area they are in, and it's all small lava rock with plenty of grit there if they need it.

 

[junebuggena]

They may be starting to feel a bit crowded. 30, 2 week old chicks need a lot of room.

 

[Island Juli]

The have tons of room in this area. It's 2 baby fences hooked together. They don't seem to me to be crowded. They run across the area with their wings flapping, it's so cute. I'd guess it's at a minimum of 12 feet across center of the circle. Plenty of shade, sun, 3 water stations (it's in the upper 80's here in Hawaii), and 2 feeding stations. Neither of them ever seem to be crowded around.

I do have a mix of breeds, 5 white leghorns, 13 barred rocks and 12 golden sex links. I had assumed they would all get along okay as they are all the same age. Did I assume wrong? The hurt baby is one of the barred rocks.

Thanks-
Juli

 

[junebuggena]

I think you may need at least one more feed station. And I think they may have out grown that pen already, or they will very soon. You've got approximately 3.5 sq ft per chick right now, not taking into account the space feeders and waterers are taking up. That's pretty close quarters for more active breeds like Leghorns and Barred Rocks. One thing that I have noticed about Barred Rocks is that they are very inquisitive and get bored easily. They need things to do or they get very grumpy with flock mates.

 

[azygous]

Maybe expanding that pen would be a good idea. Remember, chicks double in size each week. As junebug suggested, they could use stuff to play on like a tower of bricks to climb on or an old foot stool, even a tree branch tossed in, leaves and all. Just make sure its not a poisonous plant. I like to give my chicks a tub of sand to "dirt bathe" and play in. They love it.

Try putting the injured chick back as soon as you've got the Blu-kote painted on its butt. It will do much better if it can remain with the other chicks. If the chicks continue to pick at it, try rigging a separate pen inside that enclosure out of deer netting for it so it can still be with the others but be safe.

Make sure that some of the chicks are sleeping near the injured chick so it can have contact with them through its deer netting.

I wrote an article about healing an injured chick that might have some information that you might find useful, linked below in my signature line.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

That may look like a lot of room but it isn't really. I had twice that much room for my last 12 chicks. As it has been said, they need more room. As for the injured one, you could perhaps put the meekest chick you have in with her for company. Also, again as was mentioned, more feeders and waterers will also help.

 

[Island Juli]

Thanks everyone. I can't move them out the big girl coop until Thursday or so. We live in a remote area of Hawaii and only go into town once a week for supplies and tomorrow is that day.

The area they are going to is a converted shed, 12 x 12 and they will free range in an enclosed area that is about 1/4 of an acre for starters and only be in the shed at night. Once they are big enough they will have an area that is just over 1/2 an acre, and more once we clear some land.

Thanks again. I really thought they had enough space for a few more days at least. I'll get them moved as soon as I can.

 

[junebuggena]

That's the thing with chicks. They grow so much faster than you expect them to. After hatching several of my own flock's chicks, it still astounds me how fast they grow.