chicks that I have hatched out are fully feathered are smothering

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

each other by piling up on one another 3 high. They all go to one corner of the coop. Why are they doing this? There are 3 roost for them and I have even put them on it. It is 90 degrees here in southern ohio and they huddle like it is 30 degrees. There are 20-3 month old chicks in a 20 x10 coop. Again, With 3 roost. Yesterday morning I went out to a dead chick and one with the lower part of his wing tore off. The wing tip was in the coop. No sign of a predator. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was out there last night late. Watching them and sitting them over and over again on the roost. They kept flying off and would go back to the huddle!! I finally separated some of them in smaller cages hoping they wouldn't be able to pile 3 high. To smother another one. Has any one ever had this problem? If so, how did you stop this? Why are they not wanting to roost? PLEASE HELP ME!!

I am clueless

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Hmmm . . . if they are not cold it sounds like maybe they are scared?

 

[mediazeal]

Ahh, are you sure a predator didn't scare them or get in? torn wing tip sounds like coon reaching in

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

that's what I thought, mine have never managed to tear a wing on their own.

 

[DiVon80]

Its a baby thing they are scared (mine did this at the same age). Now that they are older 4 mths they are beginning to spread out and get up on the roost. Mine would all cram by the door of the coop like they were going to where the last bit of light was. Maybe put a sm. light for a few days. As a matter of fact my lil bantams do the same thing they all huddle together in a corner. They will gro out of this.

 

[jvls1942]

they are used to sleeping that way

put a light in that corner, or wherever they congregate and make it too hot for them to pile on.

just make sure that they are able to move away from the heat source..

they should unstack themselves naturally..

they are not scared.. when a chicken gets scared, it gets over it when the cause is removed. their fear does not linger more than a few minutes..

I would look for a predator that removed that wing.. rat? your guess is as good as mine..

 

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

I thought the same thing about the wing tip. The wing tip was completely tore off. I didn't think another chick could do this. I separated the chick and put antibiotic cream on it. It seems to be doing fine. We have a trail camera set out there, we haven't caught anything on film. We did have to re home our GS because she had killed and terrorized the chickens. Our great dane stays in a dog house next to the coops. The chickens don't pay any attention to her. Maybe there is something that the trail camera hasn't caught. DJ