Bully in the brooder!

[chickintexas]

Everyone has been living harmoniously for the last 4 days and now all of a sudden, one of my Gold sex-links has taken it upon herself to start pecking my other two GSL! I've been keeping a close ear and eye on them while I was vacuuming and after I was done, the two has small blood spots where their pin feathers are at the shoulder point. What do I do? I read a magazine last night that wrote about pecking and mentioned that iodine on the wounds not only help them heal but also prevents further pecking. Anyone ever hear of that? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I vacuum a lot and the last couple of times I did, there weren't any issues with them. They share the brooder with 3 Austrolorpes but she didn't bother with them. *scratches head*

 

[jbowyer01]

I've heard of using iodine on chickens but not on chicks. Maybe this little bump up will get you a better answer.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Don't put anything red on the wounds as that will only encourage the bully to peck more.

What I would do it put a little bit of antibiotic goo on the wound then a thick dab of Vaseline on top of that. It doesn't taste good and birds hate getting stuff on their beaks. You may have to do this for a few days, but usually the pecking will stop.

If you are using litter in the brooder you might also sprinkle rolled oats occasionally to encourage them to scratch and burn up some of their aggresive energy. Mine are getting a chunk of a head of cabbage every morning. They spend an hour or two savaging it to bits which keeps them out of mischief.

.....Alan.

 

[Chik-N-Crazy]

How young can you do the cabbage thing? I have 3 wk old chicks that have too much time on their hands!!

 

[chickintexas]

A.T. Hagan :

Don't put anything red on the wounds as that will only encourage the bully to peck more.

What I would do it put a little bit of antibiotic goo on the wound then a thick dab of Vaseline on top of that. It doesn't taste good and birds hate getting stuff on their beaks. You may have to do this for a few days, but usually the pecking will stop.

If you are using litter in the brooder you might also sprinkle rolled oats occasionally to encourage them to scratch and burn up some of their aggresive energy. Mine are getting a chunk of a head of cabbage every morning. They spend an hour or two savaging it to bits which keeps them out of mischief.

.....Alan.

Thanks a bunch, Alan! I'll get some cabbage, too. BTW-antibiotic goo? As in something like Neosporin? I'm going to be heading off to the feed store in a bit to get a few things so I'll check out what they have. I did notice that when that blood started showing, the two injured chicks started picking on each other. Goofy things!​

 

[chuckzoo]

Try Neosporin mixed with some blue food coloring and then top it off with some vaseline. They will peck at anything red.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Yes, any topical antibiotic.

About the cabbage. If you're not already feeding green feed they will be suspicious of it at first so won't eat much, if any. Just put a little in each day. They'll eventually catch on.

I usually start my birds with it at a week old. Chop it fine then put in the brooder on a piece of paper or in a dish.

At two weeks old I chop it a little coarser. Only as much as they can clean up in fifteen minutes or so.

By week three I chop it more coarsely still. They'll have figured out how to tear it into smaller pieces.

By week four is when you'll really need to give them something to keep them busy and they'll be ready for large chunks. If I have a brooder full (twenty five or more) I'll just put the whole small head in (larger if closer to fifty). By the end of the day there won't be anything but the toughest part of the core. I haven't found this to put them off their regular feed.

The cabbage thing can be particularly handy if they're starting to get crowded in the brooder but you're not able to move them out yet. This is when severe pecking and cannibalism can occur.

.....Alan.

 

[chickintexas]

Even after the antibiotic/vaseline treatment, the little booger kept getting after the other two. The Austrolorpes took a couple of tastes of the vaseline and were done! But she...Miss Meanie...wouldn't give up. Persistent, I give her that! I finally ended up placing her in time-out. She was in her own private mesh cage within the brooder. When it was their bedtime, she let me know she wasn't thrilled about being alone. I figured that since it was dark enough, that she wouldn't be able to find the two that she seems to find so tasty and they are all now sleeping together. In the morning, I'll place her back into her private cage. I don't know what else to do and this seems to be the best solution for the time being.
I did the cabbage thing and they did seem to enjoy it. I had also picked up some meal worms for them and watched the Mealworm Marathon! It was a riot!

 

[Chieftain]

ya know, there are a lot of veterinary supply companies online that sell a number of supplies, and one of them is surgical CA, or Cyanoacrylic Adhesive, also known (mistakenly) as "Super Glue". This stuff is a specific formulation for veterinary purposes, and it bonds tissue instantly. I am certain that there is someone here at BYC who is more familiar with it than I am, but I think it would be an excellent tool to have in your veterinary first aid kit, for exactly these kinds of wounds. It may sound wierd, discussing gluing a chicken's comb back on, but it really is an option...

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I had one of those and what I did was remove the meany for a few hours...put him in a box on his own. He will get lonely enough where when you put him back in he will be excited to see everyone. It worked for mine. I also added some bluekote...tastes aweful for them and it's purple