Help-they attacked this chick and ripped out her entire tail feathers!

[Witt Chick]

Just got a call from my husband. He said he heard a lot of noise from the chicks and went downstairs and found this chick bleeding. We removed her from the rest of the flock. He is cleaning it up. Before I saw a picture I had told him to put some Vaseline on it after it was cleaned, but it looks kinda bad, so I'm not sure now. I'm not sure what to do for her, her whole tail is gone! She's the one on top of the water in the second picture. What should I do for her? And when is it safe to return her to the flock? Thank goodness they are atill in the house so we heard it!

 

[sourland]

I think you have reached the point where your chicks need more room. Clean her up and apply some antibiotic ointment (anything without 'caine'). I would try to reintroduce her as soon as she is no longer bleeding, but understand that if it is in that brooder she will most likely be attacked again. I would also be concerned that they will start on another chick.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

its possible she may also have a broken "blood feather" if you find the feather itself still bleeding you will need to pluck it. before it would stop. i agree on them needing more room.

 

[Brookliner]

It appears that you have several age (size)s of chicks. That might be a part of your problem. The older (larger) chicks migt be picking on the younger (smaller) chicks.

 

[Witt Chick]

There's what I am guessing is about a weeks difference in age. My husband didn't get hatch dates, but our Easter egger and one of our Rhode Island reds were among the last chicks left in their bunch when he got them. They were almost all purchased the same day. We added three a few days later but all were purchased within a week of each other, with about a week or at most two between oldest and youngest. We still have the red sex link separated, she looks a lot better, and she keeps sneaking out to sit on top of the brooder with everyone else in it. Our older birds appear basically fully feathered, and are close to a month old, but I don't want to put them in the coop until everyone can go, I don't want it to become their coop before everyone can join them. So is it ok to put her back with everyone else? The dried blood we couldn't get off has turned brown. I can't think of a good solution to the space becoming to small for them, they make a slightly bigger tub, I guess I could look into purchasing that, but we modified the cover of this one, cutting out the middle and adding hardware mesh to keep them in there because they kept flying out, and we would have to do it again, and the bigger tub is that harder plastic, which I am sure would be harder to cut through. So is there a good solution? Should I buy a separate tub, just for the two older birds? There has been no further violence. Also, is it necessary to pluck the remains of all the feathers they ripped off if she is no longer bleeding?

 

[Sarevan]

You will need to get them out of the tub very soon, as there is a space issue. Our 9 are 3 weeks old and are now in a large dog crate. It has Triple the space of the tub like yours has for them to spread out. This should hold them until they are fully feathered out and ready for the grow out in the coop.

You shouldn't have to pluck feathers from her, when replacement feathers come in will or would force them out. Old blood can be removed with wet paper towel and gently rubbed off. If injuries to skin keep applying an antibiotic ointment.

I made the mistake last year getting chicks various ages and breeds. The leghorns were oldest and total bullies harassing the younger chicks. They were at least 3 weeks older to the youngest chicks. They plucked feathers from the lil ones. I got them to stop by putting the no peck stuff on the other chicks.

 

[Witt Chick]

New digs, with 2 injured separated but they can still see each other.