Bully or pecking order?

[ShakeandBake21]

I have 8, 1 week old chicks, of various breeds. My Easter Egger seems to have it out for any of my “yellow” chicks (favorelle, Houdan, sultan). She keeps going after right above of below their eyes. She walks up to my darker colored chicks and looks at them and then usually walks away. I had to separate her (other side of large dog crate I’m brooding in separated by hardware cloth so everyone can see each other) because she put gashes above the Houdan’s eyes. I’ve had her separate from the group for 3ish days now (and she gets distressed by not being with the other girls) but when I tried to reintroduce her tonight she again went for the eye lid areas on the yellow chicks and all the other girls were in a tizzy.

Am I correct it’s bullying and not pecking order? How long do they need to be separate before she’ll stop being so violent? I’m worried she’s going to blind the other chicks but I’m also worried that she is very upset to be separated from the other girls. When she is separated the other chicks do typical pecking order things (chest bumps/light pecks/etc) but nothing that rises to the level of the Easter Egger.
Any help is much appreciated!!

 

[Yardmom]

Can you put a dark chick with her for a buddy? I'm not sure that the behavior is pecking order or bullying at this age. I think it is more of a curiosity of what is that spot. Then checking it out with the beak. I have had chicks go for the eyes of yellow chicks too. They grew out of it (not sure how long it took).

 

[DobieLover]

I have 8, 1 week old chicks, of various breeds. My Easter Egger seems to have it out for any of my “yellow” chicks (favorelle, Houdan, sultan). She keeps going after right above of below their eyes. She walks up to my darker colored chicks and looks at them and then usually walks away. I had to separate her (other side of large dog crate I’m brooding in separated by hardware cloth so everyone can see each other) because she put gashes above the Houdan’s eyes. I’ve had her separate from the group for 3ish days now (and she gets distressed by not being with the other girls) but when I tried to reintroduce her tonight she again went for the eye lid areas on the yellow chicks and all the other girls were in a tizzy.

Am I correct it’s bullying and not pecking order? How long do they need to be separate before she’ll stop being so violent? I’m worried she’s going to blind the other chicks but I’m also worried that she is very upset to be separated from the other girls. When she is separated the other chicks do typical pecking order things (chest bumps/light pecks/etc) but nothing that rises to the level of the Easter Egger.
Any help is much appreciated!!

This is an excellent article on chick aggression. Please give it a read.

 

[Sueby]

That is a great article!

I had 1 chick that kept going after the EE's beard, I was afraid it was going to get her eye instead of the fuzz around it but they settled down after a couple days & all is well.

OP, I hope you get it worked out soon.

 

[ShakeandBake21]

This is an excellent article on chick aggression. Please give it a read.

Thank you!! That was super helpful! Order has been restored

 

[ShakeandBake21]

That is a great article!

I had 1 chick that kept going after the EE's beard, I was afraid it was going to get her eye instead of the fuzz around it but they settled down after a couple days & all is well.

OP, I hope you get it worked out soon.

Yes, thankfully some calculated reintroduction and a few “pecks” from me and she’s going great thus far I think she was really ready to be back with her sisters too. She didn’t like being apart from them.

 

[Sueby]

Excellent news!