Chicks pulling feathers out

[mamato3monsters]

Hi. I have 14 chicks that are 3 weeks old. They are housed in a 50 inch by 50 inch playpen. They have shavings, water, food and a big heat plate. I have 3 splash marans and their feather on their neck and feet are being pulled out. A couple to the point they are bloody. I dont know if they started it themselves but I noticed other chicks doing it to them. I separated them from the others but in the same enclosure so they can see each other. Can someone tell me why they might do that and what I should put on them to keep the others from pecking at them? I am watching to see if they are doing it to themselves now. I did check in their wings and body for signs of lice or mites but didn't see anything. Thank you so much

 

[mamato3monsters]

Hi. I have 14 chicks that are 3 weeks old. They are housed in a 50 inch by 50 inch playpen. They have shavings, water, food and a big heat plate. I have 3 splash marans and their feather on their neck and feet are being pulled out. A couple to the point they are bloody. I dont know if they started it themselves but I noticed other chicks doing it to them. I separated them from the others but in the same enclosure so they can see each other. Can someone tell me why they might do that and what I should put on them to keep the others from pecking at them? I am watching to see if they are doing it to themselves now. I did check in their wings and body for signs of lice or mites but didn't see anything. Thank you so much

 

[rosemarythyme]

Boredom, possibly - take a look at this article https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aggressive-baby-chicks-and-how-to-stop-the-behavior.72029/. Are those the only birds with "different" feathering? You have a nice space but I find that chicks can be more restless than people anticipate. If the coop or run are ready, it might be helpful to give them some time outside to give them something new to do and distract them from their obsession with the foot feathers.

 

[mamato3monsters]

Boredom, possibly - take a look at this article https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aggressive-baby-chicks-and-how-to-stop-the-behavior.72029/. Are those the only birds with "different" feathering? You have a nice space but I find that chicks can be more restless than people anticipate. If the coop or run are ready, it might be helpful to give them some time outside to give them something new to do and distract them from their obsession with the foot feathers.

Thank you. I added their swing, some large marbles, some velcro and some shiny looking metal from the top hanging down. I will be adding some more things tomorrow. The 3 I have separated are desperately trying to get out to be with the rest so I will get some bluekote tomorrow and apply it to them and see how they do throughout the day.