2 week olds dive bombing each other

[glad_hundegard]

Is this normal? Please reassure me that they won't kill each other, I'm a nervous new chick mama. I have 6 babies in a brooder (about 1.5' by 3'), and they're almost 2 weeks old now. In the last 2 days it seems like they've gradually gotten more aggressive, especially the 2 biggest chicks. Now these 2 have started jumping up, flapping their "wings" to get altitude, and landing on each other (or whoever is in the way)... which results in chicks squealing and running away. I know that the babies are going to establish a pecking order, but I didn't think it would be this violent.

I'm checking on them frequently and haven't seen any blood drawn yet, but it makes me very nervous. Please, won't someone 'hold my hand' and tell me that this is normal?! And if not, what should I do?

 

[Tressa27884]

Mine do this with each other all the time. Especially when I let them out to 'play' in a bigger space than their brooder. I'm pretty new here and I'm sure you'll get more advice here....but as long as nobdody is getting injured I'd say you're ok...

Tressa

 

[Echolalia]

I'm a new mama, too. Mine do that too. It doesn't seem like anyone comes to any real harm, though. You might think about getting a bigger brooder if your ladies are going at it particularly intensely.

 

[Anianna]

A lot of times when dogs play, people freak out because it seems so rough. Watching my children, I think if they had wings they would be dive bombing each other for "fun", too, so I'm guessing what you're seeing is just the chickens' way of entertaining themselves and socializing like older children and teenagers. If there are no injuries, I call shenanigans!

 

[DingleBay]

I have eight chicks about three weeks old. I came to the forum looking for the answer to the same question. They were having "chicken fights" so I made my brooder bigger. Now they are doing the same thing but have more room and are flying all around. Reading the previous posts sounds like we all have normal chicks. Also tonight I noticed the coloring on the birds was actually real feathers coming in. Cool!

 

[gryeyes]

When chicks get the zoomies, they don't care who or what is in their paths. Plus, they like to get as high up as they can and jump down like they're in a mosh pit. This is perfectly normal.

Wait until they start chest-bumping and standing very tall, flapping their wings! That, too, is normal.

 

[glad_hundegard]

Thank you everyone for the reassurances! I have a brother-sister pair of dogs that we've had since they were about 9 weeks, and puppy play does look pretty vicious if you don't know better. That totally makes sense that chickens could be the same way. They have been chest bumping a bit as well, and fluffing themselves up to look tall. I think it's just the baby squeals that make them sound in pain which is what gets to me. I'm sure that's some sort of adaptation to make mama hen break up the fight.

The brooder doesn't seem to be too cramped yet (give it another week or so!), but I was kinda planning on moving them out out to the new coop as soon as possible. The weather is pretty nice here in San Diego, so I'm hoping to just throw a heat lamp in there and it will give them some more space. The problem is that I need to finish building the coop!

 

[wsdareme]

Quote:
The "zoomies"??

OMG, that is the perfect description!! Mine have discovered it they jump up on top of the side supports on the EcoGlow brooder, they can REALLY fly a long ways. Right into the other chicks or the feeder.

 

[egg_tastic]

Mine do it too. They are 2 weeks old, all pullets. They chest bump while stretching their necks out too. I just figured it to be normal adolescent animal behavior. However, DH was convinced they are cramped/stressed.

They are in a gigantic wire dog crate, and are spoiled rotten. Perfectly happy too

 

[ninabeast]

My two-week olds are doing this too, when I let them out of the brooder to play. It's hilarious. They love their new wings!