Fighting, all the time!

[MichaelZ13]

My meat birds (CX birds) were challenging each other from 3 weeks on, but it never got to any kind of contact. So for me, it is nothing I am concerned about. But if I had a chicken that was actually causing damage, I would quickly identify and then, if it were 6+ weeks old I would provide it its own private air-conditioned residence in my freezer. Stand by with an eye dropper full of dye and dropper it onto the offending bird. If you can not get close, maybe borrow your kids paintball gun if they have one.

 

[Sabz]

Lol you guys are cruel

Yeah I still can't get near that one. He runs away and then blends with the crowd. I suspect he is in a higher intelligence chicken force. I've put colors on the beaten ones to see if the number would increase or if it's always the same ones.

I am weird, I find it interesting to watch and figure what's going on. I think maybe once the pecking order is established it will stop. Plus, I started feeding way more so I doubt there will be fights for food. I also let them run lose around 5 hours per day now.

I just love chickens. They garden for me . They don't eat any of MY veggies but they bath and scratch around my plants so they keep the soil weed-free. Plus they eat the bugs AND provide poop to nourish the soil.

I don't know why they won't eat my stuff.. they eat a kind of cross between rapini and .. something else, that sprouted all over my garden. I'll keep some for next year, they really love that. They actually jump to eat the higher leaves so it keeps they legs in shape

 

[Sabz]

UPDATE: Everyone is OK now. I am guessing a few factors helped.

1 - They are above the 5 week mark now. They started to lay down more often.. less "energic" if I would say.
2 - I started to feed more (in quantity I mean) after comparing my weights versus cornish X weight charts. Now they eat double the amount they had before.
3 - I let them lose more hours lately AND it's been really super hot. I am sure the temperature makes them calm. There are temperature warning in effect, so I suppose the chicks also suffer from the heat wave!

So the heat is a pro and a con I know they are sensible to heat and I got one with a heat stroke this weekend.. but on the other hand they stopped fighting! I went to water the run a few times during the day time, to try to keep the heat out as much as possible. At least they have a lot of shade!

I also lost a few crops because I let them lose lol. They love the brassica family. They eat all my rapini (I hate it, it's OK). Also I grow broccoli-kale. They didn't touch it until it formed a broccoli head. I saw the heads on friday, all exited for my first broccoli to grow to that point!

On saturday AM I noticed the chicks had eaten all the broccoli heads LOL. At least they are getting fresh greens..

Next year I am growing a brassica field for them