6 day old chicks and a bully already!? please help!

[MackChicks]

So, my favorite chick..an EE.. is turning out to be a bully. From day one 'she' (maybe a roo??) Has had a standout personality. She always makes eye contact with us when we get close to the brooder, is the biggest, and just seems to be at the top of the order. Well, today I noticed that she is pecking at the others' eyes, jumping on their backs, and running into them as hard as she can.
The brooder has a perfect temp ... Could she just be bored? Maybe she is really a roo? Or do I just have a bully on my hands? Thanks for any help!

 

[Blooie]

Sounds like somebody needs a time out! I only had that happen once, and I put a small divider in the brooder and popped him/her in it for a couple of days. When I took out the divider that chick was suddenly not the head honcho and peace reigned supreme. Well, relatively anyway. Warning, this doesn't always work and the temporarily isolated chick will be noisy, noisy NOISY! But what are you out by trying?

 

[MackChicks]

She really does! Haha I think I'm going to try that tomorrow. Thank you! Only one of our barred rocks will stand up to her. She needs to be put in her place.

 

[Blooie]

Just make sure he/she has food and water available!

 

[chickmomma03]

oh I had a little bully in my EE brooder. It turned out that not only was she a he, but also a RIR, and a mean one at that. I took him back to the store at 6wks old. I couldn't keep him, I already have 1 rooster, and I certainly couldn't have a mean one (he was tormenting my girls).

I can't tell you whether yours is a boy or not, 6 days old is really young IMO.

 

[MackChicks]

Just make sure he/she has food and water available!

Absolutely! Thanks again!

 

[MackChicks]

oh I had a little bully in my EE brooder. It turned out that not only was she a he, but also a RIR, and a mean one at that. I took him back to the store at 6wks old. I couldn't keep him, I already have 1 rooster, and I certainly couldn't have a mean one (he was tormenting my girls).

I can't tell you whether yours is a boy or not, 6 days old is really young IMO.

He/she is a golden yellow and just seemed so different from the time they arrived. My husband swears its a roo. I'm hoping its just a hen with an attitude and we can fix it. I don't want any roosters and the 2 EE hens were my pick.

 

[chickmomma03]

Quote: If they came from a hatchery like mine it's possible there are some undesirable genetics going on (behavior wise etc). I don't mean that to be offensive. All of mine came from a hatchery (I didn't know when I bought them), and there are some that just have less desirable attitude than the others. Some have some really odd quirks, and others seem alright. I didn't want any roosters either, I paid for already sexed chicks, so mine were all suppose to grow to be hens. I was already head over heels in love with Oreo before knowing he was a rooster and it was literally ripping me up inside trying to decide what to do when I knew for sure (8wks) he was a rooster (I suspected it a couple weeks before that, but I think I was in denial a little). When he was still thought to be a she he was the one that bonded to me the most. He LOVED being held, pet, loved on, etc. I was crushed when I found out he was a rooster. I didn't have the heart to rehome him, I was too attached. He's stuck with me for now, and as long as he can keep himself in line and not turn into an utter jerk he's going to stay around. He's suppose to be a more docile rooster breed anyways, so that's good.

 

[MackChicks]

If they came from a hatchery like mine it's possible there are some undesirable genetics going on (behavior wise etc). I don't mean that to be offensive. All of mine came from a hatchery (I didn't know when I bought them), and there are some that just have less desirable attitude than the others. Some have some really odd quirks, and others seem alright. I didn't want any roosters either, I paid for already sexed chicks, so mine were all suppose to grow to be hens. I was already head over heels in love with Oreo before knowing he was a rooster and it was literally ripping me up inside trying to decide what to do when I knew for sure (8wks) he was a rooster (I suspected it a couple weeks before that, but I think I was in denial a little). When he was still thought to be a she he was the one that bonded to me the most. He LOVED being held, pet, loved on, etc. I was crushed when I found out he was a rooster. I didn't have the heart to rehome him, I was too attached. He's stuck with me for now, and as long as he can keep himself in line and not turn into an utter jerk he's going to stay around. He's suppose to be a more docile rooster breed anyways, so that's good.

Not offensive at all! They came from my pet chicken and we paid for hens as well.

 

[azygous]

It's absolutely possible to discipline a baby chick. I've had a great deal of success doing this.

When a chick is engaging in undesirable behavior I give it a sharp poke on the back each and every time I see the behavior. It helps to devote some time and attention to this as the more often the chick gets an unpleasant poke for its behavior the quicker the behavior will change.

This simple form of aversion therapy works with older chickens, too, but I've seen it work much more quickly when applied to baby chicks.

And by the way, this behavior is much, much more typical of little cockerels than little pullets, from my past experience.