Aggressive chick advice please

[Lurach]

I have a 4 week old Tetra Tint and unidentified Bantam, and also a 1 week old Red Production pullet and 3 week old teeny tiny Cochin Bantam (ages approximate per the What Breed/Age thread). My TT has been picking on the CB mercilessly - to the point I'm afraid it will hurt her - so I separated the TT into another brooder, but it is clearly unhappy to be alone. I know they need to establish a pecking order, but the size difference in pretty great. I don't want my littlest to get injured. Do I need to keep the TT separated, or should I reunite them and allow the pecking order to progress naturally? Thanks for any advice! These are my first chicks.

Comparison Pix:
Dinner - Tetra Tint

Penguino - Cochin Bantam

Dinner and Penguino Together

 

[PartridgeRooster]

Keep them seperated, that Cochin doesn't stand a chance alone with that beast.
You should of got some the same age otherwise the older will more than not kill the weaker ones.

 

[Lurach]

That was my thought as well. Tiki (the older, larger unidentified bantam) was running defense against Dinner to protect Penguino before I got them separated. But still, I think Dinner could do some real damage. It's heartbreaking to hear Dinner peeping from the separate box, but I can't take a chance with my other chicks. Thank you! I appreciate your input.

 

[CAdreaming]

I just posted on this thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=497969
Can you do something similar with your cage... set up a small cage to your other one where Dinner can still see & smell the other chicks but not be able to harm them? Mine would actually lay down on the same side of the cage where the one in "solitude" was while the one in solitude would also lay up against them the best she could. I don't know if I would place Dinner back in with the others for bed time but maybe after a week, try it & see what happens. If Dinner starts after the little one again... even though lights are out & it is bedtime, than I guess you have your answer.
By the way... LOVE Dinner's name

 

[smarquis86]

I use a big horse trough and have made a center divider so they can stay in they same place but can't get to eachother. Dinner is a moster compared to pengino lol.

 

[Nicole01]

I had to separate my bantam chick from the big girls. They would of pecked her to death. Then I went out and bought two more chicks, so the transition would be easier when I integrate them together.

I had to use two different brooders. My one isn't big enough to divide in half.

 

[Lurach]

CAdreaming - Your method sounds like a good idea. I'll have to rig up something secure next to the brooder...Dinner has learned to "fly" out of the 3-foot box I have him/her in now, so I had to cover the top. The smaller chicks are in a rabbit cage, so maybe I can attach a small box to it with zip ties and cover it. I'll let you know what I come up with. Ideally, I'd like to have them all together. But, as smarquis86 said, Dinner is a monster compared to the others, especially Penguino. Hopefully I can get Dinner calmed down and they can all live happily as one flock. Oh and Dinner was the kids' choice...we love a good joke. =P

Smarquis86 - I tried dividing the cage, but Dinner kept knocking the divider over.

It also didn't give him/her much room to move around.

Nicole01 - Mine isn't really big enough to divide either, but I don't want to get another brooder as 4 chicks is my limit for where we live now. In fact, my Hubby only knows about 2 of them...boy will he be surprised when he gets home in a few weeks. lol

 

[CAdreaming]

"In fact, my Hubby only knows about 2 of them...boy will he be surprised when he gets home in a few weeks. lol"
He's in the army, he's prepared enough for a small surprise like this

My family is thankful for his service.

Your chicks are in a rabbit cage, that is exactly what mine are in & so I found (buried in my garage) 2 small play yards- meant for hamsters or other small rodents. I zip tied them together, double stacked them & zipped tied so they'd stay stacked, zip tied them to one end of the rabbit cage & used a cookie sheet to cover the top. Gotta love those zip ties!!!

 

[Lurach]

And thank you for your appreciation! Yes, he can handle surprises. I'm just not sure he wants to come home from another deployment to hear/see that our "flock" (can I call it a flock if it consists of 4 chicks??) has grown since we talked last. He wasn't overly thrilled about the first two. Oh well, he'll be happy when he has fresh eggs in the mornings.

Zip ties and 100-mile-an-hour tape keep the world together! I wish I had some spare rodent play yards in my garage. My kids never went through the hamster/gerbil/guinea pig phase. Oh well, we're nothing if not resourceful! I'll figure something out.

Lu...counting DAYS now til the Hubby comes home!