Chicks Pecking

[kjkchicks]

Hi! I have 9 two week old chicks (I had ten but one sadly didn't make it ), and they are finally starting to be less scared of me when I put my hand in their brooder. Up until a few days ago they would all run into a corner and huddle together! Now, they scatter a bit but then most of them come to check out my hand, and if I have food in it, they will eat out of my hand. A few actually let me pet them as they sit by my hand. Anyway, onto my question...most of them will peck my hand lightly, just like they do to each other..in a kind of loving way. However, there is one chick that will come up to me and peck me in a more aggressive way. A few times she even bit me! Not that it hurts or anything, but I want to make sure I am dealing with this in a way that will help for the future. Should I just let it slide since she is so young, or should I be doing something to assert my dominance over her? Is she even doing this to assert dominance, or is it just her exploring with her beak still?
Any ideas would be great! Thanks!

 

[mcjessen]

I'd say, let it slide. That just may be her personality. You may find that she's at the top of the pecking order when they all start to establish it. It sounds like you're doing a great job! Congrats on the new babies.

 

[kjkchicks]

Thank you!

 

[MadabtChickens]

I just let it slide with my Delaware chick because it was my fault she started it. I let her try yogurt off of my finger at 2 weeks old, so from that day up until she moved to the coop last week she thought my fingers were yogurt dispensers so she would peck and bite them every time I reached into the brooder . She doesn't bite me or peck hard anymore and I am now anti hand feeding since that was my first and only experience.

I have 2 barnyard banty chicks that will bite me if I reach in to pick up a chick next to them. When that happens I pick them up instead and make them deal with getting held and petted. I'll let you know how that works out since they just started acting aggressively a few days ago.

 

[Fierlin1182]

It's perfectly okay. Some just have more... gusto then others, shall we say. I have a chick named LT who always used to almost tear skin off when she wasn't careful. But she's a very friendly bird otherwise.