- Jun 9, 2013
- 11
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Ok, so to start off, this is my first post. We recently became the proud owners of 6 baby chicks: 2 silkies, 1 wyandotte, 1 Polish and 2 Ameraucanas (sp?). The silkies and the wyandotte are about 2 weeks old, and the polish and the Ameraucanas are about 3-4 days old. The are being housed in a spacious brooder set up with a great heat source and all of the bells and whistles. All seem healthy and are eating and drinking wonderfully.
Now, to the problem. One of the Ameraucanas is a serious bully. She grabs all of the other chicks by the side of the face (right under their eyes) and pulls their heads down to the ground, while somewhat shaking them at the same time. Is this normal? All of the other chicks seem to want to avoid her, and I can't blame them. This has not been an infrequent occurrence. Every time she gets close enough to another chick, she does this. The other chicks chirp loudly and try to get away. We obtained all of the chicks at a dependable local grain store. Should we return this chick? We are concerned about future aggression issues and the other chicks getting injured by her. I just don't know anything about the behavior of little chicks to know if this is anywhere near normal. We are really looking for some honest advice on what to do.
Sincerely,
Confused New Chicken Owner
Now, to the problem. One of the Ameraucanas is a serious bully. She grabs all of the other chicks by the side of the face (right under their eyes) and pulls their heads down to the ground, while somewhat shaking them at the same time. Is this normal? All of the other chicks seem to want to avoid her, and I can't blame them. This has not been an infrequent occurrence. Every time she gets close enough to another chick, she does this. The other chicks chirp loudly and try to get away. We obtained all of the chicks at a dependable local grain store. Should we return this chick? We are concerned about future aggression issues and the other chicks getting injured by her. I just don't know anything about the behavior of little chicks to know if this is anywhere near normal. We are really looking for some honest advice on what to do.
Sincerely,
Confused New Chicken Owner