Chick pecking other chicks eyes :( what to do?

[reendersarens]

I just got a shipment of 6 chicks from Meyer. (2 day shipping to me). 2 RIR, 2 black australorp and 2 Easter eggers. One of the australorp keeps pecking at the other chicks eyes. To the point were one of the Easter eggers skin was damaged connecting to her eyelid. It made me pretty sad to see so I separated her in the brooder with cardboard. I've been flushing the EE eye with saline eye wash and its improving. Others weren't damages as bad. Everyone's eating and drinking well. I added probiotics and electrolytes to their water. I got them on Friday morning early. I separated the one Friday afternoon. Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday evening I tried to put her back in with the group and she immediately went for their eyes. Anything else I can try? Or a chance she'll just outgrow it? Or I may have to remove her which I don't want to do at all but I don't want her to blind my others.

 

[lazy gardener]

Put some objects into the brooder that will attract her attention. Think: bright shiny objects (but nothing that she could swallow) Perhaps hang some beads from string. Anything that will attract her attention. Take a sharpie marker and make dots and squiggles on the cardboard. Put in a stuffed animal with bright beady eyes. If you see her pecking her flock mates, say "NO!" and peck her back with your finger. Put a plug of sod into the brooder (about 6" square, upside down with the soil exposed). How big is the brooder? What is the temp under the heat source? What is the temp at the other end of the brooder? Chicks are more prone to being aggressive when crowded and over heated. I know the charts say the temp under the light should be 90 - 95 the first week, but many of us have found that chicks simply don't need it that warm, and actually do better with cooler temps. The "unheated end of the brooder should be down to around 70*. Most brooders are simply too small to allow chicks to cool off adequately. In a broody situation, the chicks go under Mama to briefly warm up, then they are out running around in the fresh outside air for extended periods of time. The artificial brooding system that most closely mimics the natural method is "the Mama Heating Pad Brooder." I urge you to read the thread to familiarize yourself with this option. IMO, this set up would go a long way to preventing the pecking that you are seeing.

 

[reendersarens]

I've tried adding pocket change and no one seems entertained with that after the first minute. I'll try drawing on the cardboard. Good idea. Under the light it's about 93. There's areas not under the light source but they've been staying shattered under the light more than anything. I'll have to check the temps at the other end. It's maybe 3ft by 2 ft. I had 9 chicks in there earlier this year without an issue. This is only my second group. What would the sod do? Just entertain her and give her something to peck around in? She's just so upset that she's separated from the others. I'm not sure if it's a heat thing or not, she started doing it as soon as I put her in the brooder. I didn't really inspect anyone's eyes until I noticed the pecking, to know if she did it while being shipped or not. Do chicks actually need much light? If I do the heating pad method maybe she won't be seeing the sharp contrast of other birds eyes that she seems to like so much.

They have a natural instinct to peck, which I get. Just hope she can learn what is ok to peck and what is not.

 

[azygous]

The objective to adding bright shiny things isn't to entertain so much as it is to desensitize the chicks to bright shiny things.

Marbles help, sticking shiny duct tape to the walls of the brooder helps, the more bright shiny stuff, the better so that chicks' eyes are no longer the only bright shiny objects in the brooder.

That's the concept. And it works. Your problem should disappear in a matter of a couple of days, if not hours.

No, chicks don't need any more light than necessary in order to see what they're doing, and they need no light at night. They get all they need to eat during the day, as well as natural light if they're brooded near a window. Naturally, if they're in a closet, you need to give them enough light during the day to see what they're doing.