Just merged our older and new chicks - Now we have problems

[MDchicks2547]

My son found one chick in a hole in the dirt. He thought she was dead until he picked her up. She was bloodied and had feathers picked off of her back and wings. He put her back in our "baby pool" brooder. What so we do now as far as the other chickens? Was it the rooster or the older hens picking on her? It was 6 new hens/chicks that we added to the older 1 rooster and 3 hens. Do we separate the rooster? I don't want him to kill her.

 

[azygous]

How badly injured was the chick? If the wounds are survivable, make sure they're kept clean and moist until healed. The chick, if the wounds are bloody, needs to be kept separate or it will be killed.

Chickens don't take easily to new comers. They need to have a period of separateness where they can see each other until they get acquainted. Tossing them all together when they've never seen each other before is asking for trouble. Roosters and hens are all just as territorial to strange chickens.

Now, you don't say if the new hens and new chicks know each other. If they aren't brooding hens, they have to be kept separate from the chicks. Chicks are very vulnerable, and need a safe place to run to where they can't be reached by the adult bullies. If they are hens who are mothering the chicks, they all need to be kept separate from the original flock since the new hens lack pecking order rank in order to protect their chicks from the old flock.

It's all manageable as long as you understand the limitations and take things in steps.

 

[HerbanChicks]

I'd say it was probably the hen. I'd keep them separated until the little ones catch up in size and then try again.

 

[MDchicks2547]

The chicks were just put in with the bigger chickens. We have since separated them again. They are in the coop with the chickens again but are in a fenced off area. We will wait for a while and try it again when they get bigger.

 

[MDchicks2547]

Chick is fine. We separated them again. They are all in the coop but the chicks are separate and can't go out in the fenced outside area.