Normal pecking order behavior?

[Violinist4lyfe]

My bantam chicks are 4 weeks old and I almost think they are bored...

6 of my chicks seems to have formed a "gang" for lack of better terms and have decided to pick on my favorite chick

I have another chick that seems to be defending my favorite one and the other 6 leave her alone.

This is my first time with chickens so I don't know if it's normal or not. If I really want to keep the chick do I need to separate it? Or am I creating a whole new set of territorial problems?

thanks!

 

[HEChicken]

Your thread title suggests that one chick has already died but I'm not seeing a reference to a death in the actual text of the post. As they work out a pecking order, it is normal for one chick to emerge as the flock leader while another is at the bottom of the pecking order, which the others falling somewhere in between. This will happen no matter how much space there is. However in a brooder where the chicks are cramped, there will be more than the usual amount of pecking and squabbling, so the first thing to check is that they have enough space. As they grow, the brooder space also needs to increase (unless you started with a really huge brooder to begin with). I once ordered 30 new chicks who had plenty of space to run around in my brooder the day they arrived. Most of the chicks were for others (split order) and by the time they were four weeks old, all had been picked up except the four I planned to keep. At that point, the brooder seemed crowded for those four chicks! It might be that your brooder is getting cramped and it is time to find them a bigger space, or it could be just normal pecking order settling. Its really hard to say without seeing the behavior first-hand.

 

[Violinist4lyfe]

There is one chick that is "top dog" and as long as she (I think) doesn't see the chick in question everything is fine. The minute she does see the chick in question she runs across the brooder and pecks it until it hides behind the waterer. The rest of the group just follows to watch. There might be a space issue, I will move them into a larger area and see what happends.

 

[elmo]

I agree with the other comment, more space should help. You could also add a few more vertical items for the bullied chick to hide behind, something as simple as a small cardboard box, for example.

Last summer I rigged up a sort of playpen outdoors on our screened breezeway where I put our chicks during the day. It was warm enough so that they didn't need a heat lamp and it gave them more room during the part of the day they were active. I brought them back inside at night so they could sleep in their brooder with the heat lamp.

When I had pecking order issues with my flock, I separated the bully hen rather than the victim. This helped take the bully down a peg or two when I put her back with the flock.

 

[teach1rusl]

My girls always got along well when they were chicks, so it's got to be frustrating when things like this happen. I'm guessing it's a space issue to, but who knows? At this age, you'd want about 15 sq. ft of brooder space (sounds like you have 15 chicks?). I think at six weeks it goes up to 2 sq. ft each... I agree that providing more hiding places can help, as well as the idea of isolating the ring leader doing most of the bullying.

 

[Violinist4lyfe]

Quote:
I have 8 chicks, I think I am at my limit in the brooder (space wise). I am going to try setting them outside for a little today, maybe that will help.

 

[teach1rusl]

lol...okay...I saw the "gang of six" and "the other six leave her alone," and the bully, etc. So I thought they were all diff. chicks. How's it going? Are they doing any better?

 

[Violinist4lyfe]

They are doing better. I didn't get pics this week, I'm still trying to decide if I have hen's or roo's. Apparently it was a combo of determining the pecking order, being too warm and not enough space. Letting them run around out side made all of them happier!

 

[bakerjw]

I have 8 sex link pullets that got along great as chicks. Now that they are outside I see a little more aggressive behavior but they are very well behaved and seem to have a laid back pecking order. I agree with others that it must be tough to see one little guy/gal being bullied by every body else.

I would try putting the bully into time out. That may cause some displacement in the order to another chick that is less aggressive to the one who is being bullied.

 

[teach1rusl]

Glad to hear that they're doing much better! Yes, we'll be happy to throw our two cents in about sexing them

Ask them to smile when you take thier picture!