Four (6-week old) chicks peck at one chick (Please, help)

[Chelsea-85]

Dears all,

I have 5 (six-week old) chicks. They acted normal from the hatch until 3 days ago. On Monday morning, when I checked the coop, I found one black chick with blood on her face and head. When I noticed them for ten minutes, the other four pecked at her (all of them). I quickly removed the injured chick, treated her head and separated her. After 3 days (today) I let her go back to the coop but all of them started pecking at her again.

What should I do? Should I separate her forever? Any advice?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

I'm going to reply per my experience with my flock growing up. They maybe establishing their pecking order. I have read if no major injuries let them work it out. Mine are almost 8 weeks and I have had only one bloody face. Good luck!

 

[CaramelKittey]

Did the injured chick have blood or a scab on his/her face when you put him/her back? Chickens are attracted to the color red and will peck st anything red. That is why most feed and water dishes made for chickens are red.

Hope your chick gets better!

 

[Julesstarohio56]

That happened to one of my Brahma chicks on his rear end. Once he had a wound, they wanted to peck it. I washed him, put neosporin on the wound and then that brown stuff from TSC (no peck?—my knee hurts or I’d go look, lol). No pecking him since.

 

[Chelsea-85]

Did the injured chick have blood or a scab on his/her face when you put him/her back? Chickens are attracted to the color red and will peck st anything red. That is why most feed and water dishes made for chickens are red.

Hope your chick gets better!

Thank you dear for your reply. No, she healed very well once I let her back to the coop. I don't know the reason.

 

[Chelsea-85]

That happened to one of my Brahma chicks on his rear end. Once he had a wound, they wanted to peck it. I washed him, put neosporin on the wound and then that brown stuff from TSC (no peck?—my knee hurts or I’d go look, lol). No pecking him since.

Thank you dear, I did the same, I bought a spray which cures the wound and changes the color red to black just like her feathers. But still they attack her. I don't know what to do actually.

 

[Julesstarohio56]

As a newbie, it’s a mystery to me. I just figured out that 5 out of 7 of my SLW are cockerels. Those guys are bullies! If I get new chickens in the future I’m going to try and get pullets. They are all a lot of fun to watch, though. I sit inside the coop in the morning and observe. Last night, their third night in the coop, I had a red production pullet insist on perching on my shoulder and then nested on my breast. An Orpington nested on my husband’s hoodie hood. I think they thought we were roosts. That was new for us. Hilarious, too. Living and learning! I do hope your chickie gets better treatment, soon!

 

[nightowl223]

Thank you dear, I did the same, I bought a spray which cures the wound and changes the color red to black just like her feathers. But still they attack her. I don't know what to do actually.

The only other thing I can think of to change the way things are going is to hold one of the bullies down (not enough to hurt them, just hurt their pride) and let the one being bullied walk on or stand on the bully, and do it over and over, to change the pecking order a bit. It might not get oer off the bottom rung, but it might help her be able to stand up to the bullies a bit more. Pecking order issues are hard ones to fix, in my knowledge. I just treat injuries, make sure they're healed up enough to go back, and THEN, when they all go back into the same enclosure, I do it at night, when they're asleep, and use garlic powder on all of them, so they all smell the same. It makes them believe they all belong together. The garlic use is usually with bigger ones, like adults, but it should also help with younger ones, I would think.