7wk olds picking on each other

[lmadeline146]

I just moved my 7wks in with the rest of the flock and I know that they have been getting pecked and whatnot but nothing has been extreme so I think it’s just the pecking order. However, the chicks have been pecking at each others heads and open backs now and eating their feathers. They’re eating the right feed and have protein. A chick did die a few days ago but we think it was an accident where she fell from the high roost or she already had a problem since her intestines were coming out of her rear.

What can i do to stop this? I don’t want to put the chicks back into their fenced inclosure because it is small for them now and I don’t want them to peck at each other more in that space. A few chicks have been bleeding but the rest are just missing a few feathers.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I just moved my 7wks in with the rest of the flock and I know that they have been getting pecked and whatnot but nothing has been extreme so I think it’s just the pecking order. However, the chicks have been pecking at each others heads and open backs now and eating their feathers. They’re eating the right feed and have protein. A chick did die a few days ago but we think it was an accident where she fell from the high roost or she already had a problem since her intestines were coming out of her rear.

What can i do to stop this? I don’t want to put the chicks back into their fenced inclosure because it is small for them now and I don’t want them to peck at each other more in that space. A few chicks have been bleeding but the rest are just missing a few feathers.

Pictures of your setup please. What feed exactly are they on? If there are chicks that are bleeding it will only attract more pecking, they need to be cleaned up, and you need to stop the bleeding.

 

[lmadeline146]

Pictures of your setup please. What feed exactly are they on? If there are chicks that are bleeding it will only attract more pecking, they need to be cleaned up, and you need to stop the bleeding.

I’m not home so I can’t get an image atm, but the run is 20x10ft and the coop is 8x10. There is areas to hide and to jump up to stay away from other chickens. We put the Cluck & Co. starter feed into the feeder, but if we need to get more protein we can start feeding them scrambled eggs. I just cleaned up + dressed and separated two bleeding pullets but they seemed to be pecking at their own wounds too. I was planning on getting rid of the 6 roos when they started showing aggression toward the pullets, but I can get rid of them now if thats the issue.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I’m not home so I can’t get an image atm, but the run is 20x10ft and the coop is 8x10. There is areas to hide and to jump up to stay away from other chickens. We put the Cluck & Co. starter feed into the feeder, but if we need to get more protein we can start feeding them scrambled eggs. I just cleaned up + dressed and separated two bleeding pullets but they seemed to be pecking at their own wounds too. I was planning on getting rid of the 6 roos when they started showing aggression toward the pullets, but I can get rid of them now if thats the issue.

If you're not keeping any of the cockerels I'd get rid of them now, no sense in feeding the extra mouths, and it will increase your square footage per bird.

 

[lmadeline146]

If you're not keeping any of the cockerels I'd get rid of them now, no sense in feeding the extra mouths, and it will increase your square footage per bird.

Okay, I’ll get to work on that. Is there anything else I can do to prevent them from pecking each other in the mean time?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Okay, I’ll get to work on that. Is there anything else I can do to prevent them from pecking each other in the mean time?

Maybe get some bluekote from the feed store, spray it on the same place on the chicks that aren't injured as well as the ones that are. Pics of your setup would still be helpful

 

[tiredMutt98]

If the cockerels are already being aggressive they should get separated out. For the feathers getting picked at, a saddle might be a good option at least to remove the access to them. Hopefully if the cockerels are removed the increased space should decrease the stress.

We had the chicks in a dog run in the coop once they were fully feathered. The hens could see and hear them but not pick at them. When the pullets got to the same size as our smaller hens, they were fully introduced. Adding a bit more feed and enrichment helped my flock care less about the fact that more birds were in with them, and our rooster(thankfully) helped break up any big squabbles.