need some help

[Smallflock2010]

Some what new to asking questions although i have been benefitting from the wisdom of this site for quite some time. Got some new chicks from Privett Hachery 2 weeks ago, ordered 27 and they sent me 32. from what i have read on here that is unusual for Privett to pad the order, but im not complaining.

5 different breeds-Welsummer,BO,Golden SL, Brown Lehorn's and Autra Whites. All seem to be doing good excpet that canabilism seems to be kicking in. they are just starting to feather and i now have 10 of the babies in quarantine because they have been pecked bare to the point of bleeding. i am currently housing them in a pen that is 8' by 4' with 2 ft being a small "house". is this too much space? i did not have this problem with the last batch of 10 that brooded and all of them are doing great and we enjoy the eggs daily. what am i doing wrong? or what can i do to stop this behavior? it doesent seem to be any one breed that is being "injured" . Please spread some of ya'lls wisdom here.

Thanks!

 

[emys]

Could it be some of your whites are meat birds??

Are they given access to feed 24/7 or only sometimes? Do you have more than one feeder for them? Are you using white lights for heat? (if so- switch to red heat bulb)

Isolate those that have been picked on. Give some vitamins and electrolytes to all.

 

[Ironmaiden]

I had to separate my white meat birds from the rest of my chicks. They were the only ones that were being picked. I also think they were too hot. Check your temperature. Give them more space if possible. There is never anything as too much space.

 

[Smallflock2010]

currently using white lights, will switch to red as soon as i can get to TSC in a bit.

The white ones arent the ones getting pecked or doing the pecking....or so it seems, and they arent supposed ot be meat birds, supposed to be a cross between Austrlorps and White leghorns.

Also thought about hanging an apple or two to give them something extra to peck at and occupy their time a little more? or any other kind of "treats"

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
32 chicks, 2 weeks old. 32 square foot pen total space. Did I read that right? (Last group of chicks raised there was only 10.) 1 square foot per chick, and part of that is shelter area.

Sorry, I had to sort through the numbers. It helps me to rearrange them, so tell me if I got it wrong.

I suspect the problem is over-crowding. 32 - 2 week old chicks are a very active gang, they need space. See if you can set up a separate temporary pen and give them some room. Good luck! I bet that's quite a cute handful!

Also, consider the lighting, as IronMaiden said. It may be too hot. I ended up getting a 100 watt red outdoor lighting bulb from Ace Hardware because my 250 watt was just too hot.

 

[keeko]

Your culprits: Overcrowding and the white light. Switch to RED ASAP. That glaring white light beating down on them 24/7 will make anyone do some crazy stuff!

Can you make a bigger brooder? They'll need a lot more space.

Also be careful with apples. The seeds are poisonous to chickens (all birds I believe), so you should monitor them if you hang it for them to peck at (my girls LOVE to peck at apple cores when I'm done, but they can only have it for a few minutes, and I have to hold on tight!)

 

[Smallflock2010]

Okay,

Have switched to red and seperated some of them out and this seems to be helping out a lot. thanks for the heads up on the apples, did not know that. but thats why i count on the wisdom of all the great people on this site for the assistance.

Apples-if i cut the core out they should be okay as a treat right? and what other treats could be good for them?

BTW- am already making plans to address the space issues on their coop and run in the coming month or so, will end up have 2 coops and runs!!! LOVE IT!!! and i love the exerience that these wonderful birds are providing my 5 children as well.