Bully in the brooder!

[fancbrd4me02]

You might want to get a red brooder light if you don't already have one. I use them and I seldomproblems with picking.

 

[chickintexas]

Quote:
Just use a red brooder light in place of a white one during the day? Heck, if that'll work, I'm all over it! Thanks!

 

[chickintexas]

Update:
I switched out lamps and put in a red brooder lamp but she would still zero in on the other two. She never bothers the Autralorpes which is really odd. So, the day before yesterday, I kept her secluded in a mini cage within the brooder. That night I let her sleep with the group. The next morning, I set up the brooder with "toys" hoping that would help. I hung an unused dog clicker which has a shiny side inside the cage and a couple of strips of fabric dangling from the top of the brooder. It seemed to do the trick. This morning I saw her grabbing at one of the sex-links a couple of times but that was all. At least she's not behaving as badly as she was before. She was relentless and would follow one or the other all over the brooder for a chance to peck. Keeping my fingers crossed that she doesn't get ugly again.

 

[Jberndt]

Hi there,

I just brought home my first bunch of chicks (3 ida browns, 3 buff orpingtons), and already I have a bully in the brooder. One of the ida browns is pecking at the eyes of her brooder mates.

I've removed the miscreant, but I don't have a separate cage that's really suitable for a chick.

How long until she starts missing her flockmates, do you think?

 

[katharinad]

Are you giving them electrolytes? They may be missing it in their diet. A little bit of salt into their drinking water can do the trick. Best is to get a vitamin/electrolyte supplement for their drinking water. Red light is another thing to get, but this has already been mentioned. Also boredom can lead to pecking in some birds. Get some cheap plastic cat balls that make a rattling sound. My birds do play with them. They cannot eat those balls, and they can be washed too. Here is an image of them:

I think they cost a dollar or two.
Katharina

 

[Jberndt]

Electrolytes? No, as I said, I just brought them home like three hours ago. I thought I had everything set up as it should have been, but I still have the bully. I'll try the red light, and the electrolytic solution ASAP. The rattling balls are a neat idea, too. I'll try that as well. Soon.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[katharinad]

Ouch missed the 3 hour thing. Stress can make them act up. The electrolytes will help in this case. I had the pecking going on with the quails I've hatched. They were going down on one of them. I did everything right. It would just not stop, I even partitioned them off to stop it. Two days later it became clear what was wrong. The one they pecked on was not normal. I did not see that, but they sensed it and started to peck. The chick died, not from the pecking, but because something else wasn't right. The rest of them are fine a growing strong. In your case I bet it is just stress, and the electrolytes will help a lot.
Katharina