I got 17 three-week old chicks two weeks ago. After a few days one was pecking bottoms to the point of bloodiness. I separated her and put her with another larger hen in a cage in the same room as the others. Today I moved them all outside to the coop (a sectioned off section of my regular hen coop). There is tons of room, food, water and a red heat lamp. I put meanie in with everyone else and all was quiet for about an hour. I went back out to check them and sure enough she had bloodied three more chicks, wings this time. One is quite beat up. I seperated her again, and this time put the cage in with the adults, who are about two-years old. They have some curiosity but not aggression. I don't know what to do with this vicious meanie. When she is not with the others she is fine and they are excellent. As soon as I put her back in she goes way past pecking order picking and goes for blood. She is a gorgeous black sex link, fully feathered and very affectionate to me. But, not so with the other hens (and one little roo). Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't want to cull her and don't know of anyone local who would want a meanie. Thanks.
Blood thirsty birds are culls around here. There is no room for a chicken in a flock that acts like that.
Chicken jail within the brooder or just have her with the other chicks only with supervision so you can tap her every time she seems to go for another chick. I broke one of my more aggressive chicks with that, he throws fights now if I glare at him now XD
I have her in jail right now. When she was in her previous jail I had another hen with her and they were just fine together, but the other hen was fully feathered. She only seems to pick on the chicks whose feathers are just coming in. First the tail and now the wings. Because she is so sweet to me, I'm wondering if she will break this horrible habit when the other little girls have feathered out. Or possibly wait until she is a little bigger and put her in the adults. I just can't bear the thought of culling her (I don't even kill bees, just catch and release) if she has any hope at all. Thanks for the suggestion of supervision, I'll give that a try and she how we do.
chicks are fuzzy, and sometimes the skin can also be seen under that fuzz. Her not picking at the adult gives hope that if she can be kept separated from the other chicks until they feather, maybe all will be well. Please don't cull her yet; give her a chance !
I'd do the tapping method if you want to keep her It does work in most cases, you just need patience.
It was good that you separated her, at lease, if not culling her. It is quite likely that soon, others would have also started pecking at those that she injured. They will sometimes even eviscerate a chick with a pecked at bottom. While it is possible that she will stop pecking when they are all feathered in, it is also quite possible that she will always be a feather picker.
