Establishing a Pecking Order or going for Chickacide?

[CluckyCharms]

We introduced the chicks today, and were pleasantly surprised to see that most of the 2.5 week olds get along beautifully with the 3 day olds. They are cuddling with them, and the 2.5 wk Silkie is actually nestling in amongst them to keep them warm. Even the gigantic Welsummer is being very sweet, as is the hamburg - very nice!

BUT...

The Mille Fleur d'Uccle is absolutely vicious with the babies. I know you're probably thinking "uhhm...a vicious d'Uccle?" Yes, she's very nasty with them. She'll grab their beaks and run off with them attached to her beak. She'll grab them by the butt and run off with them, and she'll get a hold of a wing and yank really hard. She's the only one of the 2.5 weekers that do this to the babies. She does it constantly. I separated her from the others for four hours and they were peaceful and sweet to each other. The second I put her back in there - she goes after them with a vengeance.

This doesn't seem like "establishing a pecking order" to me ...it seems like she's a cold-hearted little chickacidal maniac.


what to do?

 

[Judy]

I've read elsewhere of d'Uccles being particularly vicious.

 

[CluckyCharms]

I've read elsewhere of d'Uccles being particularly vicious.

Well, I write this as I bawl my fool head off. We tried one last time before bed and she just pecked the living chet out of the smallest baby, drew blood in the neck area. I removed the baby and put her in another brooder with the older silkie since she's a very nice chicken.

With that chick gone i thought maybe she would be okay, but then she started terrorizing the other birds (baby and 2-weekers) Our beautiful wellsummer can't even open her eye where the snotrag pecked it, and one of the other frizzle babies has missing fluffs on its butt and looks like a naked butt chick.

my husband culled Medusa - it was over quickly but I am absolutely a devastated bawling mess of salt. Raising chickens SUCKS. You get attached to them, love them, talk to them, feed them treats and then they turn around and become devils.

 

[WalkingWolf1]

The circle of life, sans a human hand, can be quite harsh.

At the ages you're talking about here I think you've done the best thing with an over aggressive flock member. If mixing them at this age is your only option then only keep the ones that will be social. Brace yourself as this will be an oft repeated issue if you continue to raise hatchlings.

 

[CluckyCharms]

The circle of life, sans a human hand, can be quite harsh.

At the ages you're talking about here I think you've done the best thing with an over aggressive flock member. If mixing them at this age is your only option then only keep the ones that will be social. Brace yourself as this will be an oft repeated issue if you continue to raise hatchlings.

I feel that we did the right thing, but then I have to question why it hurts my heart so much. If she was just trying to say "I'm the boss of you" that would be one thing, but she was incessantly picking at eyeballs, necks, tails, wings, etc to the point of drawing blood and yanking fluffs out....she had to go to chickyheaven. It was either that or keep her in her own brooder forever, because separating her did absolutely nothing. I even cradled her upside down (gently) and moved her through the brooder and all that amounted to was me losing my cuticles on my thumb and forefinger.

The Welsummer is an enormous chick - can't believe how huge she is, and she's been nothing but sweet to the babies, same with the other 2 weekers. They've been snuggling with them, and the Hamburg even brought his boxelder bug baby over to them and dropped it. They're being so nice to each other. I'm just devastated about the beautiful little d'uccle.