Help! Brand new Rhode island red chick trying to eat everyone else

[Sanderguy777]

Just took my 4 new hen chicks home. Black australorp, black sexlink, Rhode island red, and buff orpington.

The RIR is aggressive, and went after the other chicks almost immediately. Just nibbling thinking they were food. But now she's discovered that the black australorp has white tips on her wings, which look like food. Everyone else now thinks so too.

Any ideas?

 

[Rose the Legbar]

Remove the RIR and see if anything improves

 

[Alexandra Runner]

What is their feeder situation like? Chicks are curious little anklebiters (sometimes literally) and are always trying to eat things they shouldn't. If you haven't already, I would sprinkle some feed on the floor of the brooder and see if that helps.

 

[Sanderguy777]

Remove the RIR and see if anything improves

Tried. She cried a lot, and everyone else still knew how to eat the wing

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Just took my 4 new hen chicks home. Black australorp, black sexlink, Rhode island red, and buff orpington.

The RIR is aggressive, and went after the other chicks almost immediately. Just nibbling thinking they were food. But now she's discovered that the black australorp has white tips on her wings, which look like food. Everyone else now thinks so too.

Any ideas?

Curiosity cannot be mistaken for aggression. Aggression does not exist at this stage.

I like to add in some marbles or other colorful things to peck at..

Sometimes lighting makes a difference.. with bright light making things worse.

I do also start on paper towels covering the shavings and sprinkle crumbles around to peck at.

I have had chicks obsess about another's toes or eyes, etc.. it usually passes quickly.. as there is no actual reward or pay off.

Sounds like a fun group!

ETA: all babies put things in their mouth to test them.. it's not eating the wing.. though it could accidentally turn into that with chickens.

 

[Sanderguy777]

What is their feeder situation like? Chicks are curious little anklebiters (sometimes literally) and are always trying to eat things they shouldn't. If you haven't already, I would sprinkle some feed on the floor of the brooder and see if that helps.

Just tried it. Tractor supply recommended separating them, but the separate one just cries at the top of her lungs

 

[Sanderguy777]

Curiosity cannot be mistaken for aggression. Aggression does not exist at this stage.

I like to add in some marbles or other colorful things to peck at..

Sometimes lighting makes a difference.. with bright light making things worse.

I do also start on paper towels covering the shavings and sprinkle crumbles around to peck at.

I have had chicks obsess about another's toes or eyes, etc.. it usually passes quickly.. as there is no actual reward or pay off.

Sounds like a fun group!

ETA: all babies put things in their mouth to test them.. it's not eating the wing.. though it could accidentally turn into that with chickens.

Good call with the light! They all calmed down a bit. Do they need light all night for the first few days? I have reptile heaters, so they don't put off any light.

 

[The Welch Chickens]

I had a similar situation when I got my first chicks last year. They all adored pecking and grabbing each other's toes when in the cardboard box on the car ride home. When they got into the brooder, they settled down and stopped picking on each other.

I would just give them a bit of time to settle in. Keep an eye on them and intervene if necessary, and it might stop on its own. Perhaps give them something more interesting to peck at, such as a toy or (as previously suggested) some food on the floor. Here is a good article on the subject: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aggressive-baby-chicks-and-how-to-stop-the-behavior.72029/

Good luck!

 

[WallyG74]

Good call with the light! They all calmed down a bit. Do they need light all night for the first few days? I have reptile heaters, so they don't put off any light.

No, they don’t need light. It actually gets them in a good day/night schedule without light. As long as you can keep them warm, let the sun be their light.

 

[The Welch Chickens]

Good call with the light! They all calmed down a bit. Do they need light all night for the first few days? I have reptile heaters, so they don't put off any light.

For my chicks, I was using a brooder heat plate, but they were still cold and stressed. I then added a red heat lamp (made specially for chicks). The warmth and soft light calmed them down almost instantly.

A white light is not great to use, as the constant brightness is stressful. Red heat lamps are much better. (A quote from another thread…)

The white light leads to restlessness and rather unruly behaviors, such as feather pecking. The red light is calming and makes them docile.