Morning, folks! I struggled with this and had to search high and low for a good solution. Posting here, in case it can help others. ❤
I picked up three day-old dark Brahma chicks from the feed store three days ago.
Day one was awesome.
On day two, one of the chicks started pecking at her sister's eyes. She was unrelenting. Seemed completely obsessed.
At first, I thought she was a bully. Then I thought she was trying to assert dominance. Then back to bully. I read as many threads as I could find here and elsewhere. I realized, she likely thought those shiny eyes were a lot like bugs.
I'll spare you all the things that didn't work and cut to the chase: tandem chicken jail.
She's seems to panic if she isn't right next to her sisters, so I cut a piece of hardware cloth and separated their brooder. I made a second warmer from a heating pad. I downsized their water and food dishes to save space.
Peace is restored!
I'll get them back together for supervised playtime and am hoping for full rehabilitation, as they grow. I'll keep you posted!
I picked up three day-old dark Brahma chicks from the feed store three days ago.
Day one was awesome.
On day two, one of the chicks started pecking at her sister's eyes. She was unrelenting. Seemed completely obsessed.
At first, I thought she was a bully. Then I thought she was trying to assert dominance. Then back to bully. I read as many threads as I could find here and elsewhere. I realized, she likely thought those shiny eyes were a lot like bugs.
I'll spare you all the things that didn't work and cut to the chase: tandem chicken jail.
She's seems to panic if she isn't right next to her sisters, so I cut a piece of hardware cloth and separated their brooder. I made a second warmer from a heating pad. I downsized their water and food dishes to save space.
Peace is restored!
I'll get them back together for supervised playtime and am hoping for full rehabilitation, as they grow. I'll keep you posted!
