Bully chicks

[RanonDunn1]

Hello,
I'm new to chicken farming and I have a problem I hope you can help with.
We purchased 12 new chicks and a week after we had them the littlest one began bullying the others and injured one so bad that it ate the meat on the wing of one to the bone. I got the injured chick out and doctored it and pulled the bully also. A week later a different chick began to bully one and drew blood. After I kept the second bully separate for 2 weeks and tried to re introduce it but 2 hours later it drew blood again.
How do I solve this problem?

 

[chickens really]

How are you housing them...Do they have enough room? What are you feeding them? Could be nutritional ???
Chickens once pecking starts can be hard to stop...If they see blood or taste it the one bleeding will be pecked to death..Chickens are Cannibals .....

 

[RanonDunn1]

They are in a BIG feeding tub with lots of room. I am giving them extra protein but the 2 bullies still go at the others. Could it be that they are males?

 

[chickens really]

No, as chicks being cockerels will not be the issue. They must of got a taste for pecking..keep them in a look no touch pen so they see the other chicks but can not peck.
Try that...

 

[Fluffyserama]

No, as chicks being cockerels will not be the issue. They must of got a taste for pecking..keep them in a look no touch pen so they see the other chicks but can not peck.
Try that...

To stop the little peckers from going canabalistic I do quite a few things.

I put blue kote on any open wounds. It both dresses the wound and hides the red color they love to peck. Red Light also helps hide wounds if they do break skin. I then add extra protein to their diet like little meal worms or scrambled eggs.
I add toys to the brooder like things to climb on / peck at, and perhaps a little pan with sand to practice dust baths.

Excessive pecking is usually caused by one or more of three things.
1) lack of space
2) nutritional deficiency
3) boredom

If you address these 3 things you can usually prevent pecking.

If their behavior continues I then move to a see no peck cage to break the habit, but if you don't treat the root cause they will go right back to pecking each other when you try integration.

 

[RanonDunn1]

Thanks guys.

 

[chickens really]

I tried..Your welcome!!

Cheers!