6 week old chick being picked on

[meggers38]

Hey there, I have six week old chicks that seem to be picking on one in particular. She has blood on the side of her face, and others seem to be packing at her. Since she's so young I'm concerned about isolating her that she won't get enough warmth. What would you guys do? I do have a hen who lives her happy little life in her coop for one because she was also bullied. I could put her in there? Or I could isolate the chick with the other silky like her? Any ideas on how to keep her safe?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How are they being kept? Bullying at that age is often because they need more room and things to do.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I wouldn't put her in with an adult hen unless it was broody. Are the others the same age, size, appearance as her? I would follow @oldhenlikesdogs advice and ensure they have plenty of space and things to do. Providing places where they could jump up on would be helpful, as long as it's not too high for your Silkie.
For now, I would clean up her blood because the others will peck at that anyways. If need be, I would keep them in the dark for a couple of days until she's better. That way, they can't see her to peck her. (If you do this, please be sure they do get some daylight each day by letting them out in the grass while being supervised.)
Are they off the heat yet? Do they have plenty of clean bedding (shavings, preferably) and something to dust bathe in?

 

[meggers38]

How are they being kept? Bullying at that age is often because they need more room and things to do.

There are 12 and they are in a 4x6 transition coop before they go in their big coop. Our weather here Idaho is still a little cooler, so I'm waiting a little bit to put them in their big coop. They have a roost in there and there is some dirt to take dust baths, what else would they need?

 

[meggers38]

I wouldn't put her in with an adult hen unless it was broody. Are the others the same age, size, appearance as her? I would follow @oldhenlikesdogs advice and ensure they have plenty of space and things to do. Providing places where they could jump up on would be helpful, as long as it's not too high for your Silkie.
For now, I would clean up her blood because the others will peck at that anyways. If need be, I would keep them in the dark for a couple of days until she's better. That way, they can't see her to peck her. (If you do this, please be sure they do get some daylight each day by letting them out in the grass while being supervised.)
Are they off the heat yet? Do they have plenty of clean bedding (shavings, preferably) and something to dust bathe in?

Hi there, thanks for your reply. They are all the same age, I got two silkies, two polish and some americanas and a couple black copper marans. I did not realize the difference in breeds might cause an issue. Someone told me that silkies and polish are less dominant breeds so therefore they get picked on a lot. Have you heard that? They are right now in a 4x6 transition coop, they still have heat, because our temperatures have been a little low. We are getting ready to transition them to their big Coop any day now. They have fresh bedding they have plenty of food and water they have a roost to jump up on, plus some durt to bathe in. I don't have anything else for them to do. I was going to wait till we got into the big Coop to do any of the extras. I have not ever had any problems with packing this young and chicks, so this is new to me. I already removed polish in the silkies and put them in their own transition space for now. I'm going to treat her wound with vetericyn plus wound care, will that be ok?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hi there, thanks for your reply. They are all the same age, I got two silkies, two polish and some americanas and a couple black copper marans. I did not realize the difference in breeds might cause an issue. Someone told me that silkies and polish are less dominant breeds so therefore they get picked on a lot. Have you heard that? They are right now in a 4x6 transition coop, they still have heat, because our temperatures have been a little low. We are getting ready to transition them to their big Coop any day now. They have fresh bedding they have plenty of food and water they have a roost to jump up on, plus some durt to bathe in. I don't have anything else for them to do. I was going to wait till we got into the big Coop to do any of the extras. I have not ever had any problems with packing this young and chicks, so this is new to me. I already removed polish in the silkies and put them in their own transition space for now. I'm going to treat her wound with vetericyn plus wound care, will that be ok?

Silkies and polish can become targets in a mixed flock. They often act differently because their sight can sometimes be limited. It can work, but if problems arise it's best to have a backup plan. I've successfully kept polish with other breeds, but silkies are much more vulnerable. You may have to consider splitting your flock. If your chicks are fully feathered I would wean them off heat, and move them to the bigger coop as soon as possible.

You can treat the wounds with that product. I personally use bluekote to hide the red color of the wound.

The only time I had pecking in the brooder is when I failed to move mine into a bigger space in a timely manner. You also can take them out to the bigger coop for the day, than back to the brooder at night.