My Araucana chicks are fighting!

[n8ivetxn]

The day before Thanksgiving, I got 6 chicks in the mail. These kids were brooding together before they got here - they are not fully feathered, yet....They seemed to be getting along just fine, until the last day or so.

I'm not sure, but I think the aggressor might be a cockerel. The victim is a pullet. She's the biggest in the group, and the best feathered. The one actively seeks out the other and just goes after her, relentlessly.... She has discovered she can fly up and get some distance between them.

So, I separated the aggressor, put him in a cat crate, sitting next to the brooder where the other 5 are living. They can still see each other....The heat lamp can reach over there and I also put a pocket hand warmer in the crate for him... along with food and water.

Is this normal, for chicks this young to have problems? I usually have a broody to raise chicks, so I'm a little new at this.

There wasn't any blood, but obviously the pullet wanted away from the other chick. It was pulling her feathers and jumping up to spur her....

Is there anything I can do to alleviate the problem?

 

[cavemanrich]

How old are these chicks?
It is unusual for very young ones to show such aggression, but in your case it is happening. Try separating where there is no visual sight of each other. Not sure how long, but I would try one week. After , let him in with the rest of the flock and see what happens. The theory behind this is after one week he will be regarded as a new comer. Newcomers are always seen as the bottom of the pecking order. Maybe it will turn your little aggressor into a wiser cockerel, and cool things down a bit.

 

[n8ivetxn]

Well, I was supposed to get 4, 8 week olds and 2, 6 week olds... but, honestly, I don't think they're that old. Only the 2 biggest pullets are fully feathered, the others still have some chick down with feathers coming in. - They're still young enough that I can't be sure about who's a cockerel or a pullet (I think 1 cock & 5 pullets)...

Yes, I've never seen anything like it, they've been together since they hatched!.... I opened one end of the brooder to let her out, and he was still jumping and striking at the chicken wire, trying to reach her on the outside.

After she was safely out of his reach, I got him and placed him in the cat crate and let her back in with the group.

The only thing that I can see, is that this pullet has large double tufts on her earlobes. The other chicks are clean faced. But still, he isn't going after the tufts, he's just grabbing whatever feathers are closest!

I think I'll take your advice and see what happens. Maybe he'll calm down some.

Thank you!