Help! 2 week old brown leghorns pecking tail feathers!

[donrae]

If you've not read this article yet, I highly recommend it

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

The rules are all well and fine as a guideline, but you always always have to look at what your birds are telling you. Not all us humans follow "the Rules", so not all birds are going to also

I'm in the PNW and agree our weather here has been weird. I am moving 3 week old chicks out to my outdoor grow out pen, where I run a heat lamp at night (and sometimes during these weird cool rainy days, depending) and the chicks do well. So do my broody raised chicks, who are all over the large run most of the day.

Put things in the coop to distract them, too. Doesn't have to be much. A clump of weeds will give them something to "talk" about and move their attention from each other. Branches, sticks, bricks, an extra feeder, a bucket on it's side, anything can to the trick here.

 

[lazy gardener]

Excellent article by RR.

 

[donrae]

Yep, I think it should be required reading

 

[lazy gardener]

Why don't we have a list for the newbies in the intro thread? It would save so much anxiety.

 

[ksmith2006]

I think that pecking can be due to stress and trace mineral deficiency. Both stress and trace minerals are closely related. Stress can accelerate the depletion of certain trace minerals.. When I raised pheasants, the problem was severe and resulted in the death of many birds. They were pecking each other on their heads.Just a bloody mess!!! I wish I knew then what I know now!!! I have been adding an all natural nutritional supplement called Avia Charge-2000. It is a water soluble powder that you simply mix in with their drinking water. Within a short time the birds quite pecking and appeared to be more calm. This might help your problem as well.