my chicks are killing eachother...pls help

[cuteubbi]

hello everyone!

i m in tension regarding my chicks...age 6 to 8 weeks...they are quarreling alot and biting eachother...i dont see any blood but they become almost feather less...before one week, everone was calm and cute....what i did something different last week, i gave them boiled fish in a day for 5 to 6 days...and then i realized their different behaviour...i boiled my fish 10 mintes and give them...they first start fighting for the fish...and now they are biting and fighting to eachother ...pls help urgent...right now, i have 8 chicks...3 silkies, 2 polish white and 2 black...i put 4 to another cage but still they are fighting....


if you have any advice......hope to hear you soon


thnx n regards

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That is usually when they're bored and don't have enough room.
How big is their space?
At that age they should be out in their coop and run. They don't need to be in a brooder any more.

 

[appps]

Yeah sounds like a space thing. There is a reason they cut beaks off in overcrowded battery farms. Things won't stay nice if they don't have room.

They reach an age they need to work out the pecking order. If the bottom ones don't have room to get away from those above them its going to get mean.

The feeding fish probably just coincided with the age they started trying to work out who is boss. Coincidence.

 

[cuteubbi]

they are in 5 ft. x 6 ft. cage...soil on ground

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sounds big enough for bantams at that age. Try giving them something to do like hang a head of lettuce for them to pick at.

 

[centrarchid]

My games have done this and it does appear to be a function of diet. The battles begin after they have been fed lots of mealworms for a couple days then it is stopped. Before, during and after the mealworms their diet was based on a chick starter that was on low end for meeting their protein requirements. After they got used to elevated protein as provided to by mealworms, they expected it to continue and began looking for alternative sources when mealworms were discontinued.



The fix is more protein pronto. Feathers missing can indicate feather picking.

What are you feeding them know? Protein level? All plant based?

Next go around with fish, do not feed so much and do not stop suddenly, step it down.

 

[cuteubbi]

i m giving them feed only...starter

 

[cuteubbi]

i m giving them feed only...starter

 

[centrarchid]

Get another bag and give them access to some intact grain like BOSS. Problem could be something other than protein yet be nutritional in nature.


How much fish did you give them, enough to suppress intake of starter.

 

[cuteubbi]

Get another bag and give them access to some intact grain like BOSS.  Problem could be something other than protein yet be nutritional in nature. 


How much fish did you give them, enough to suppress intake of starter.

i give them around 150 gm