chicks pecking each other

[5acrehome]

my barred rock chicks are about 6 weeks old and today i went out to check on them after work and one was dead and rig had set in there is another chick that has a bum eye that is swollen and he is standing off by himself from the rest of them. There is one other chick that is doing the same behavior but he/she/it is intact with no visible injuries. anyone had this happen to them this is the first time i have tried raising this many chicks together. I didn't think the males would be agressive at 6 weeks which is what I think happened. Thank you for any insight.

 

[CMV]

Do they have enough space?

 

[Dogfish]

Quote:
This, and how many in said space?

I had 16 DP chicks in a 4x4 brooder for 5 weeks and had none of these issues.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

6 weeks is a pretty good sized BR you do need to make sure there is enough space and feeders waterers.
some strains of BR are very agressive so that may be your case, or you might just have a meanie in the bunch who needs to go - observe them, or stick your hand in there the culprit is probably the one who runs up to peck you hard.

 

[5acrehome]

they are currently in a 10' x 12' a frame there is a ton of room for them they are moved to new grass everyday none of them will peck at me while i was out there today. It's like they "know"

what is going on.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

how many?

 

[5acrehome]

there are 26 well 25 after today found another under the outside radius of the hanging heat lamp. the carcass was flat on the ground and had 1/3 of his feathers missing on one side of the abdomin and under his left wing. I have never seen this behavior before over the last year while raising the others and they were done in the same fashion but only ten chicks in that batch. I added the spare IR heat lamp today and covered the sides with the heat with a tarp to keep more of the heat in. I have a 16 lbs feeder that is empty everyday other day and the waterer is a 1 gallon red bottom that I have converted into a hanger which is filled fresh everyday. I don't have the cash to get more feeders and waters just right now but at this rate I am going to have to upgrade something I am thinking. All the chicks removed have been flat on the ground like something has stepped on them but the only thing that could step on them is each other. They are not anywhere I would not want to sleep or eat so i don't get it. what do you guys think this is ?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

so your right, that's not crowded. If they are "flattened" it sounds like they are landing on the bottom of pile ups, which usually occur when they are cold. You don't mention your temps so that could be the case. However I have seen pile ups in the heat of summer too; my friend John was losing at least one a day to one particular pen that had decided the only way to live was on top of each other - it was crazy.
Sooo what are your temps? also i would suggest giving a heavy round of PoliVySol, it sounds nuts but it seems to make them content (vit B ?)

 

[5acrehome]

it's about 80 during the day and getting into the 50's at night I didn't lose anyone today thankfully so adding the other lamp and resetting their position seemed to fix it will not know for another few days.