Need advice my largest chick is being a bully

[ShannonMarie]

Hi everyone i will attach photos my Buff Orpington is being aggressive today. She wont leave my other chiks alone when they are eating and will like run at them. I was sitting on the couch and heard one of them make a squeal sound that i have never heard and by the time i got there i could not figure out who it was.... I know she is is bullying them basically. She can fly out of the brooder if i leave one half of the lid off. She will fly on top on the other lid and just is much further along then the others. Should i do anything about it or let them be? My blue Andalusian is so tiny i worry she is gonna hurt her. The buff and blue were together alone for two days before i got my two barred rocks. they have always seem so close and always side by side. We spend lots of time with them and my buff is always the first one to jump on to our hands she will jump on me if i am just cleaning their brooder and filling water etc. The pictures with their names were taken when i first got them. Since those pics my buff has grown a lot!! She is much bigger than the others. Thanks for any help!!

 

[wamtazlady]

She's acting like a chicken. All flocks of chickens have a pecking order. She's larger than the others so she has an advantage that she is using to make sure she is at the top of the pecking order. It's sometimes not nice to see how chickens behave as they are not always kind. However, this is the way they live. If she gets to the point where she is actually damaging the other chicks you may have to separate her from the smaller ones. Most likely she'll just peck at them until they all realize she is the alpha chick.

 

[aart]

How big is brooder?
I see edge of a bin, could be they are crowded.
How hot is it in there?
Pics of setup would help us help you.

 

[ShannonMarie]

HI thanks for the response i think it is all settled now! I think that my largest was being very spoiled by my daughter and causing some havoc. She did not single her out all weekend and everything has been fine since. They are in the largest rubber maid you can actually buy. it is quite large in fact i wondered if it was too large... The lid is the normal lid it comes with an we cut out almost half of it and inserted chicken wire and that is where the red heat lamp is. During the day i take the lid off and i put two brand new smoker grates on top so they cannot fly out. They have pine shaving bedding on one side and their water dish and food dish on the other side. I also leave food on the ground so they can scratch and eat. I will post a pic when i can.. I actually hurt my back on Saturday and since then i ve been literally in bed except to get to the restroom. My husband and daughter have been caring for the babies.. So i actually miss them. Thank you all for your help.

 

[andreanar]

Yup, you just found your alpha hen (or little cockerel). Totally normal for them to behave that way. I leave them alone unless there is real harm being done. You can put a big clump of grass and dirt in the brooder to give them something to do, they love that, or throw in some crickets and sit back and watch the show. You can also take them outside for a little scratching around.

 

[ShannonMarie]

Yup, you just found your alpha hen (or little cockerel). Totally normal for them to behave that way. I leave them alone unless there is real harm being done. You can put a big clump of grass and dirt in the brooder to give them something to do, they love that, or throw in some crickets and sit back and watch the show. You can also take them outside for a little scratching around.

Thank you!! We take them out everyday unfortunately we had rain three days in a row here in Arizona so we couldn't take them out. I never thought to bring in a chunk of the grass to them, So thank you for that. I have noticed the change in their behavior when they go outside. They definitely get bored when they don't go outside. Thank youf ro the help I really appreciate it!!

 

[andreanar]

Ive always dug up a sod mound for my chicks. It keeps them so busy in the brooder.

 

[ShannonMarie]

Ive always dug up a sod mound for my chicks. It keeps them so busy in the brooder.

I will do it today! We have great grass and lots to find in it... Thanks SO much!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

You can not have a brooder too big. By the time they are 2 - 3 weeks old, they actually should have 2 s.f. minimum per bird. This helps ensure that they have plenty of room to play and do chickeny things without being stressed from crowding, which can lead to aggression, leading up to blood shed and possibly cannibalism.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I start chicks off in a plastic bin with MHP for the first week for observation, then they go out to the brooder in the patio. Prior to learning about MHP, I kept them in the house until they were about 4 - 6wk before moving them to the brooder.

First time is was fine but when my friend called she had another batch for me to raise, it got me thinking. All the noise (prior to learning of MHP), smell (prior to learning of FF) & bird dust was not something I was looking forward to.

aart is right, the more space they have alot less squealing. Even with "just 4" more space the better, last year I got 4 BOs and they grew fast. My bin is 34 5/8" L x 18 3/4" W x 12 5/8" H, screened top while my brooder is 4' x 8'.

Enjoy your chicks.