Help! MEAN chicks!! *edit w video*

[wjallen05]

I kept 2 of my RIR "packing peanuts" and they are SO MEAN! They keep picking fights with the other chicks (Leghorns and EEs) I seperated the poor little Silkies to a seperate brooder and they're much happier. What do I do with the other guys?? I have a HUGE super nice place that I can keep them outside (under the porch, so away from drafts and preditors) it's a huge rabbit hutch where our rabbit is but I can move him somewhere else. They will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and there's 13 of them (standard chicks) will they be okay out there with a 100 watt (regular) bulb??

edit to add video: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v672/WJTH05/Chickens/?action=view&current=ChickFight.flv

 

[Cetawin]

I do not think a 100 watt bulb outside will be enough. They should still have 85 degrees in the brooder and I do not think the 1000 watt bulb will give you that during the night.

they need to be fully feathered before they can deal with outside temps....so 8 - 10 weeks.

RIRs are/ can be more aggressive and they are also at the age where they are beginning to sort out the pecking order....it will happen several times. Unless they are drawing blood.....I would let them work it out. If you see blood or injury, then seperate them.

 

[Three_Blessings]

I'm not sure what your temps are where you live, but I would use a regular heat lamp bulb for warmth. If you did not want to keep them maybe advertise on craiglist or a local newspaper.

 

[wjallen05]

Ok. I wasn't sure if they were too crowded (why I thought of moving them outside) or if it was their breed or what. I do have more rubbermaid storage containers where I can seperate them from the rest.

added a link to a video of them to my original post.

 

[iread]

Wow! They are fiesty! I don't know a thing in the world about chickens yet...I'm interested in hearing what everyone has to say.

BTW Is that a guinea pig cage for your brooder? That's what I'm planning to use. How many chicks do you have in there?

 

[PurpleChicken]

They are posturing and establishing a pecking order. That is normal
for a lot of birds. As long as they don't draw blood they will be ok.

 

[wjallen05]

Ok thanks!

BTW Is that a guinea pig cage for your brooder?

Yep

It is a lot bigger than the average size GP cage, though. I haven't measured it but it's atleast twice as big as the other GP cage we had (wish I hadn't of given that one away....)

I have 13 chicks in there now. When I first got the chicks 3 weeks ago, there were 25 and there was plently of space for all of them. They quickly outgrew it and these 13 will probably need something bigger in another week. These chicken-pigs need to stop growing so fast!

 

[chookchick]

Looks like you have some baby rooster action going on! I would say both RIR and the one silkie. As the others said, it's totally normal and nothing to be concerned about. Having more room in the brooder would help a lot--they are way too young to go outside now. If you don't want to keep them, you could find homes for them now.

ETS--oops not a silkie, a leghorn. Makes me miss the chickies!

 

[Chicken Woman]

I think they need some more room and a red brooder light to calm them down. I usually get a lg applaince box and cover with a screen.
Red light helps calm them i am now using a 75 watt blue bulb that the pet stores carry for nite time for snakes etc.
the ones that i think are roos still spare a bit but not much.

 

[wjallen05]

Yep, Leghorn, not Silkie. My Silkies are in a diff brooder, and are as mellow as they can be.

I gave away the other 6 this morning. I certainly do want to keep these guys. No biggie to get another rubbermade storage container to keep them in. Our computer room currently contists of 18 chicks, 3 brooders, 1 guinea pig, and in two days we'll have 25 more chicks. Oh and baby goats on cold nights (in a cage of course!) I feel like I live in a barn!