My adorable Astrolorpe chick is acting like a jerk!

fiddlechicken

Chirping
5 Years
Mar 12, 2014
55
7
58
Portland, OR
I know, I know- it's probably new chicken parent jitters. I'm a one week old chicken momma to 4 baby chicks: a buff orp, a b rock, an EE, and... My problem child, the Astrolorpe.
I was most excited about Astrolorpes from all the reviews, so it figures that she is the meanest- by far- and the most flighty. Anyway, she's been doing that eye- peck thing to all the other chicks, and I'm worried someone is gonna get hurt. I know there's a pecking order, but this just feels like too much.

I've got her separated within the brooder right now, and Lil Miss Pants doesn't care for that one bit. ( The Chicken Chick blog describes separating out the bully chick, while making sure everyone still gets to see each other.)
Anyone have thoughts/ suggestion? I'd moving them to a bigger brooder tonight, though, it seems like they're ok on that front, too. Just wanna nip this in the bud, but maybe that's not realistic.
 
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In reality the only way to cure, help, teach, or reform a chick that thinks it is at the top of the pecking order is to treat it in such a bad manner that it looses all of its self esteem and falls to the bottom of the pecking order. That is what segregation or solitary confinement is supposed to accomplish. They do it to hardened criminals also don't they? Yes and some people do it to chicks. Try to give all your chicks enough room so that any or all chicks can escape from the attention of the stronger flock mates like your Astrolorpe chick.
 
Thanks for your input, Chickengeorgeto.
I really do think they have quite a lot of space, and I just doubled it again tonight. The problem is that this particular chick goes out of her way to harass chicks sleeping at the other side of the brooder. I mean it, as soon as the other chicks all fall asleep in a lump, she runs over and beats them all up.
I would never advocate harming an animal in any way. But waiting around for the morning when I come in to find (a) severely injured chick(s) doesn't feel right, either.
 
Just wanted to report back... I finally did segregate her- with food and water, of course- for just over an hour. Just used a little hardware cloth in the corner of the brooder, so she could see and hear the others.

And it worked! She still pecks and chest bumps, but it's not obsessively diabolical... I'm convinced it would have gotten bloody pretty quickly had I not intervened. She's still top chick, too!
 

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