2 week old chicks pecking each other

[oldcoop]

I have 28 2 week old chicks that are pecking on one another. I just noticed it tonight so I put peck no more on the back of their necks. Do you think this will stop them. This is the first time I have tried to raise up this many chicks. I was planning on moving them to the coop in 2 more weeks bit if they dont have any feathers?

Any advise? should the peck no more work?

Thanks

 

[JadedPhoenix]

That is a lot of chicks. How much space do they have? Your problems may come from that alone.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

x2. 28 2 week old chicks will need quite a bit of room...

 

[oldcoop]

I have them in a 2 x 6 foot stock tank in my garage. It is small but I was hoping to get them to 4 weeks and turn them loose in the coop and run. The nights are not getting below 40 degrees. do you think I can put them in the coop now? I don't have electricity out there for a heat lamp. For now maybe the peck no more will work for a couple of weeks.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

You will NOT make it to four weeks in such a small space. If you do, you will lose far more than you will "turn loose". And no, they can't be put in the coop without some sort of heating source at such a young age. Remember, they need heat until fully feathered. I say you need to get at least two more tanks for now and divide up your chicks to give them each more space. Of course when you divide them up, you then make separate flocks so expect some issues when you reintegrate them back together. By the way, how big is your coop? For 28 chickens you will need a BIG, huge even, coop.

The link below is for 10-12 chickens. So you'd need three that size.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog...lass-5-x-6-Quonset-Hut-15-Chickens-p1604.aspx

 

[edmick]

I had the same problem. I only have 6 but kept them in a cat carrier at first and moved them to a larger kennel when they got a little larger. They were bickering constantly in the small carrier and once moved they settled down. I'm sure this is where the term "all cooped up" comes from. not to mention the sanitary concerns with so many chicks in a small space. You would need to replace their bedding constantly to keep them healthy.

 

[oldcoop]

My coop is 12 X 12 with a big run and I let them out to forage for bugs during the day. If I wanted to keep them all together what size stock tank would I need? Should they be fully feathered at 4 to 6 weeks?

 

[Folly's place]

I move mine to the coop 'annex', about 8' x 10', at two to three weeks of age, with the heat lamp near one corner, and feeders and waterers a little away from that corner. They do just fine there. There isn't a stock tank large enough for all of them! Mary

 

[JadedPhoenix]

My coop is 12 X 12 with a big run and I let them out to forage for bugs during the day. If I wanted to keep them all together what size stock tank would I need? Should they be fully feathered at 4 to 6 weeks?

They will be mostly feathered by 6 weeks, depending on the breed. 4 weeks, maybe but don't count on it. As for giving your chicks plenty of space, I'd go with a minimum of 20 square feet. You want them to have enough space to get off and away from others if they want or need to. Maybe mark off part of the garage? That is what I'll do at the end of the month for my turkeys.

 

[edmick]

They just grow so quickly so any solution at this point would only be temporary at best. I agree with jadedpheonix on maybe separating them into smaller groups. I turned my chicks heat lamp off at 6 weeks but they probably would have been ok at 5. Probably..