Chicks pecking each other and eggs in incubator?

[21stCenturyMom]

Is this ok? When should I intervene and what should be done? They haven't even dried out yet but some of them are pretty aggressive it seems like!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

oh my, got some little stinkers hatching out? they should at least be dry before you move them. if some are still hatching i wouldnt open the bator. i dont think they will damage each other but if you see blood or something awful, i would pull the offender out. they do start the pecking order right away

 

[21stCenturyMom]

Thank you for the reply! Yes, I think one of the Black Copper Marans I have is a bit of a bossypants! I am wondering if it's a rooster because it was also the very first chick to hatch. It's just a very vigorous chick already!

This is my very first batch of chickens ever, so I guess I thought they would wait until they were dried and able to walk before pecking lol

 

[Granny Hatchet]

and they normally do but its not unheard of for them to start early. hes just a healthy one and ready to get started eating. lol

 

[21stCenturyMom]

I think you are right about being hungry! The chicks were getting so lively that, with some misgivings, I quickly took them out of the incubator and put them in the brooder. Tried to get the incubator warmed up right away and back to temp. Sure enough, the chicks went right after the food! They are so stinking cute!

I think maybe they were a little crowded too, because the incubator was filled empty egg shells and a bunch of unhatched eggs still cookin'. Once they were able to spread out in the brooder and got something in their bellies, they stopped a lot of the pecking.

Here's a pic of the seven of them (still waiting on a few more to dry out and fluff up):

 

[Granny Hatchet]

what a nice set up ! i am glad they are doing better. just one thing though. it is not recommended to have new chicks on pine shavings because of splay leg. i use the grip shelf liner for a couple days on top of the shavings and then just toss it or wash if you plan on doing some more. are they reaching the water and feed on their own? congrats on the hatch

 

[21stCenturyMom]

Thank you for that advice

I will put down something for them to grip on... I think we have some of that shelf liner somewhere...

My husband built the brooder for me out of some scrap lumber we had laying around, and we put an old screen door over it to keep the chicks safe from our cats! It's really kinda big, but I also ordered some chicks in the mail that are arriving on Tuesday, so I wanted to be sure I would have enough space for everyone, just in case the hatch went super great and I ended up with 20 chicks or something! (I set 24 - 8 BCM, 4 Easter Eggers, and 12 Ameraucanas.)

So far, this little group of seven is doing really well! We dipped their beaks in water and showed them the food and they have been doing it all on their own. They are getting fluffier and cuter by the minute!

My new worry is pasty butt, so I've been checking them pretty regularly and so far I believe they are all ok.

We've got three more in the incubator, and quite a few eggs still left. Today is Day 21, so this little group caught me a little off-guard with their early arrival. I guess I'll keep the incubator going until Tuesday, though I haven't seen much signs of life on the other eggs... my candling has been somewhat spotty as we just used a flashlight, and I didn't really know what I was looking at! lol Both the BCM and the Ameraucanas were pretty hard to see into. So we could have a few more surprises coming, we'll see!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

you are most welcome. sounds like you have a great bunch. some eggs can take 24 or even more days to hatch. if humidity is lower or temps dropped for a few. or they just aint ready to come yet. the more you candle you will get the hang of it. you may even be able to hear them ! those that are ready to hatch should be mostly or all black in the shell. I used black tape to put a paper towel holder on the end of my flash light. then the egg will rest right against the light and you can see better. plus i go into the closet for pitch black surroundings.