How to decide when to cull a chick...

[Sarah1up]

I posted yesterday about a 1.5 week old chick that is obsessively pecking at the other chicks beaks. All the advise helped with possible causes. This isn't food or water aggression as she can be next to other chicks and eat and drink just fine. It also doesn't come across as establishing pecking order. She just walks around and pecks like they have something on their beaks that she is trying to get off. She also isn't picking on one in particular. She has done this to the point of bleeding on a couple though. I am confident that there are no other underlying reasons for this (temp good, brooder size good, multiple food and water stations)... All the other chicks have normal behavior. We have her separated in the brooder so she is near them and can see them, but she is still quite stressed by this. She peeps and jumps and scratches at the hardware cloth. I kept her separate for 12 hours, tried putting her in and she did it again. 12 more hours and I put a chick in with her. Ate and drank with it just fine, then while they were chilling she just starting picking at the other ones beak, not aggressively imo, more like obsessively. I can keep doing this for a while but I wonder at what point I am causing her too much stress and it would be better to cull her. Any thoughts?

 

[rascal66]

Are you using a red heat bulb in the brooder?

 

[Sarah1up]

Are you using a red heat bulb in the brooder?

Yes, I would have liked to have a heat plate to be under but they have been out of stock.

 

[Dephora]

I hope someone with experience answers you, I am, sort of, in the same boat. But my chicks are 3 weeks and the mean chick hasn't gotten any nicer and the other chicks are just looking more and more bald D:

 

[rascal66]

Yes, I would have liked to have a heat plate to be under but they have been out of stock.

I had a chick once that would peck the beaks of other chicks as well- it was more of a food thing since she would see them with food around the beak. She eventually stopped by herself. Otherwise I don't know a remedy for this? Red bulbs are good for accidental bleeds as it will keep other chick from pecking at the blood they see.

I should note: I am beginning to build the idea in my head to not be afraid to cull over disease or really troubling behavior. Since the chick in question is so young, its really hard to judge. But if the chick is persistently drawing blood, it might save you the trouble later to get rid of it or at least separate her for longer periods of time to see if it will help. otherwise i dont know what else to offer. Maybe someone else with more experience can help.

 

[Folly's place]

I've never had a chick like that, fortunately.
What breeds do you have? Just to be curious here, it may not matter, but wondering.
Given red light, multiple feeding stations, and plenty of space and out-of-sight areas, your management seems good. You don't have slightly older birds to move her into their brooder, probably, either.
Is it actually an exceptionally nasty cockerel? That I would believe! Either way, causing actual wounds would be a culling point for me.
Mary

 

[Sarah1up]

The bleeding was minor so thankfully none of the other chicks noticed it. It does seem like more of a food thing. She doesn't really focus on foraging. Thanks for the hope that she might knock it off. I will give it a few days, I just feel bad that she is in solitary confinement and I have a sense of "put her out of her misery". The only person I know who has any chicken experience is my dad and he would have culled her as soon as he noticed the behavior. He's pretty old school though.

 

[Sarah1up]

Sorry, forgot to say she is Rhode Island Red with a variety of other breeds, two of each. Apparently they have a reputation for such things but the other RIR is very well behaved. And this one doesn't seem aggressive, she's never pecked anything other than the beaks. No feather plucking or eyes or anything. And she is such a sweet chick. Loves being held. Makes it even harder.

Edited to add more info.

 

[rascal66]

Sorry, forgot to say she is Rhode Island Red. Apparently they have a reputation for such things. She's never pecked anything other than the beaks. No feather plucking or eyes or anything. And she is such a sweet chick. Loves being held. Makes it even harder.

Give them some time. I've read that instinctually, a broody hen will hold food in her beak and drop it for chicks, and with my first ever broody, i see the chicks from time to time peck at her beak. Could be wrong, but give it some time? Feel free to update us

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, try longer, and plan on updates here. 'Inquiring minds want to know'!
And, still wonder if you have a cockerel, or one of 'those' production red pullets.
Mary