Baby chick cannibalism?

[CinnamonQueen12]

Just this afternoon, I had noticed that some of my 9 week old babies that are outside in an all-in-one coop had bald, bloody, swollen patches of skin near their tails on their backs. We were not sure what was causing the problem, so we put some noesporin on the wounds and put the 2 chicks back. Then we watched for a while and we saw the smallest chick, a little yellow one who used to be so sweet, run up to a chick and pull a feather out of it's back near it's tail, where the wounds are on the other 2. Then, she ate the feather. We separated her from the others (they are outside, she is inside in her old brooder, calling for her "friends") . Now, we see some of the other chicks pecking at the wounds on the other chicks' backs. They are not pulling feathers (YET) but they are distressing the 2 babies. What causes this kind of thing? There are 8 chicks, all 9 weeks old today, in an all-in-one coop. The coop part is 2x3, maybe 1x3, I'm not sure, but it is somewhat roomy. The outside area that they run around in during the day is 24 square feet. If they are too crowded, one of the chicks is a rooster, and I could get rid of him (once the wounds on his back heal (he was one of the pickees)). I am just waiting for a friend to build her coop so that she could take the hens, but if it takes much longer, and the chicks get bigger, how do I prevent more feather pulling and cannibalism??? Please help!!!

 

[Corazon Ranch]

Picking is a very serious problem! It can lead to death very quickly!

99% of the time, you can end picking by giving the birds more space and more feed.

If you have some serious bullies, or birds that just think feathers are delicious, you need to find them and separate them ASAP.

The worst part of picking is that once a bird has a spot, the other birds will be drawn to it like magnets.

There is a major artery above the tail that will bleed profusely and the bird will die if it is cut.

Also, to help dry out the bloody spots and disguise the injury, try a spray on dressing like Wound Kote. I apply a wide spray around the affected area, which seems to help prevent the other birds from seeing that enticing spot of blood.


Hope this helps!

-Sara

 

[CinnamonQueen12]

Thank you for the information! I wasn't aware about the artery above the tail.
I already separated the other chick, and I just cleaned out the pen that the others are in. So now for the next few days, I will be watching to see if there are any feathers on the ground like before.

The chick that I separated is acting funny. She stopped calling for the others after a few minutes, and she's just chilling. Occasionally, she will start to call again, but if I just stick my face over the edge of the brooder, she stops and tries to get to me. When I let her out, she just jumps into my arms and cuddles. She was the first one hatched, and she has had a very strong attatchmen to people since day one. I'm wondering if maybe she is just a loner, and doesn't like other chickens much, and that is why she was pulling feathers?

 

[Corazon Ranch]

Stress is the usual cause for picking. Perhaps if she prefers the company of humans to other chickens, that could be a source of stress.

Keep an eye out, in case she wasn't the only perpetrator.

Good luck!

 

[CinnamonQueen12]

She wasn't the only picker. I had let her back with the other chicks the other day, and I saw her start pulling feathers out again. I reached in to grab her, and then I saw another one pulling out feathers. So I put them both in their old brooder for a day and let them out the next. But it didnt work. So I got a pecking block for them. It helped a little. What else can I do?

 

[RileyB]

I had this happen when my chicks were only two weeks old. You need to separate the two that have wounds until they are completely healed (not only can do they get excited to pick at things that are red, but once they see/taste blood it creates a frenzy). I ended up keeping mine separate for a few weeks as the other birds can also sense an injured bird even when the wound isn't as visible. Her wounds would heal quick and I'd try putting her back in, but they'd pick at her again. What I ended up doing was finding a bird that didn't peck at her and I kept the two of them separate so the injured one would have a friend. I then reintroduced them after a couple of weeks.

I would also separate the little one doing the pecking. This will reestablish the pecking order. Put him back in after the two injured ones have been reintroduced to the flock and acclimated again to the others. Then those two will be above the little one doing the pecking.