Help - Vicious Chick

[kyeschicks]

Chick jail is the best place for a meanie! I had a pullet that was 2 wks old and she KILLED one of my BO!!!!

she went to chick jail for 3 weeks!!! then I placed her back with the others and she was not pecking them at all!

 

[Mikhail]

I had a meanie duck once. She bit the younger ones wings when their feathers were coming in and permanently damaged one's wing (the wing goes off to the side). Needless to say I separated the others from her. she doesn't do that anymore, in fact she has a duck that she's really close to (who is actually the same duck that she permanently damaged his wing as a duckling).

 

[Stonerowfarm]

Update on my meanie jeanie.

Last night I took the suggestion of supervision and tapping her when she pecked. After about a half hour she got the clue and as soon as I pointed at her, she stopped mid-peck.

It was getting dark and the babies were all settling in for the night. She snuggled up with one of her "victims" and all seemed well.

Flash forward to this morning. I went out as soon as the sun came up. Everyone was doing great. No bloody wings, no fighting, no squawking. Just happy little hens eating, drinking and playing.

I kept checking them throughout the morning and sure enough by late morning there were three bloody wings again. Not terrible but definately picked on. I separated meanie jeanie and put her in one cage and the two most picked on chicks in another cage. (The coop is getting crowded with cages)

So, should I just keep working with her at night and separate her in the morning since she seems like rehab is possible? When she is separated from the rest of the girls she is miserable, pacing and peeping.

Thanks

 

[JupiterFarmer]

Takes time to break a meanie permanently. My meanie didn't break till a four days with me checking in on him and giving him a big tap when he acted up.

Now that they're fully feathered though I just give there neck a slight tug and the bad seed knock it out. They still have spats but they don't bloody each others faces.

So keep at it, but can you keep her in sight of the others so she doesn't feel totally isolated?

 

[Stonerowfarm]

She is in the baby coop tonight, but still in jail. I moved her closer to them and even though she is still in jail, she seemed to calm down considerably. I swear though the other chicks were taunting her. ha... ha... you're in jail ha... ha...

 

[JupiterFarmer]

Quote:
Chicks love taunting those in jail for some reasons. Lil devils they are when they realize they got something the other's don't.

My trio of free rangers like to taunt the caged babies by standing right next to them, hopping on the others' cages and showing off how free they are

 

[wings]

I don't have any experience with meanies, but I think it would be good to work with her as much as you can and isolate her (in view of everyone else) when you can't.

~wings

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
That's terrible. Funny, but terrible.

 

[sunnibunny99]

Wow, poor babys

lol I think isolating her is a good idea

 

[john in wa]

as a kid grandma and grandpa bought about 300 pheasant chicks to raise and release. we had a heck of a time with pecking and bloody buts and wings. grandpa talked to another old timer and he told grandpa to give them raw hamburger. chickens need meat. we did and guess what the pecking stopped. we still removed the picked on chicks till they were healed. we started feeding them a little hamburger once a month or so to keep them from pecking. that was 30+ years ago and we still have a lot of pheasants running around here. and every time i see them i wonder if they are descendants of the birds grandpa raised.