One chick under assault

[IllinoisGuy]

I needed some advice with my small flock of 9. They are a mix of approximately 4-5 week old chicks (supposedly pullets). They have been brooded in a clean basement and haven't been exposed to the outdoors while their coop is under construction. About 5 days ago we noticed a bald spot on one of our two leghorns, right on the back of the head, about a centimeter in diameter. Though we never saw anyone going after her or plucking the down, over two days it got noticeably bigger and we decided some action was needed. We used pick-no-more on the spot, but when we returned her it must have made her look too different and she was immediately attacked by flockmates, which we never saw happen before. It settled down when the other birds decided they didn't like the stuff, but in the morning the bald circle was still expanded a bit. After another day of this we tried vicks rub, but again that just made some of the other birds curious and they pecked it a bit. The attack wasn't as aggressive as before, but one peck drew blood for the first time. I pulled her out before it got any worse. The bald spot by then was about an inch by 1.5 inches or so.

I don't know what caused it to start, food (starter/grower crumbles) and water are always full, they have branches for roosts. Space was initially about 2 SF for each bird. They were brooded under a red lamp which I've carefully adjusted based on a thermometer and their behavior under it, so it isn't too hot or cold. After the problem started I expanded the brooder to about 2.5 SF per bird, started giving a diced hard boiled egg before evening, and switched to a ceramic heat emitter so they have dark nights except for a nearby night light.

So, now I have this very sad bird who hated being taken from her flock. We put her into a pet carrier which we placed back in the brooder so she can see and hear her flock, she seems more content but it is a tiny space for her, maybe 1.5 SF.

I don't know if I'm doing the right things.
1. Is it better for her to be in a cramped space right in their with the flock, or a larger space where she cant see them or be seen? (worried about re-introduction)?

2. Can I let her out when it is darkened so she can lay down with her flock, and then isolate her in daytime?

3. The coop (but not the run) will be ready in a week with about 5-6 SF of space per bird, might I be able to let her loose then with the added space? If not then I should get a larger carrier for her in the coop until the spot feathers over? It is still quite cold at night here, so I will probably have to add some supplemental heat with the CHE overnight.

4. Anything else I should do or am missing?

Sorry this is so long, I just don't truly know what I'm doing and I really want to help this bird out. Thanks for any advice or solutions.

 

[azygous]

Your problem is one of the most common ones we encounter keeping chickens. It's also one of the most frustrating because it has no easy fix.

To solve it effectively, you will need to put all the chicks together and watch the dynamics. Try to identify the ring leader because there almost always is one bully chick behind it.

In addition, try to figure out what it is about the victimized chick that might be different in some way from all the others. It's usually some physical feature, size, coloring, pattern, that attracts this unwanted attention. This will help is figuring out a way to diffuse the attraction.

Here's an article I wrote on this subject. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aggressive-baby-chicks-and-how-to-stop-the-behavior.72029/ There may be some suggestions in it that could be helpful.

If all else fails, you can try selecting a few of the most docile chicks to house with this bullied chick. It can help socialize the victim to become associated with its own posse, and that can instill self confidence and help to change the bully/victim dynamic.

 

[Spartan22]

Having her isolated might encourage more pecking beside chicks hate to be alone. Since your still constructing the coop, can you put them in a bigger brooder (big furniture or appliance boxes). It’s been my friend for brooding especially when I start in January or February having the temp that we have in Ohio. You can easily expand the these kind of brooder by adding room and placing a screen wall between the offending chicks and the bullied one, yet they can see and interact without harming her.

I used to brood in containers that are too cramp and too expensive that afterwards I have no room to store. Here’s an example of taping together of multiple boxes that I disposed off after.

 

[IllinoisGuy]

Thank you for your replies and the article, I think I actually read it weeks ago before we were even having trouble, coincidentally. Right now she is in a pet carrier in the brooder, so she's "isolated" but not alone, can see and be seen. I will try protecting the red and pink of the bald spot with some Blu-Kote and letting her free before I shut down the lights tonight, they huddle together and don't do much when the lights go dim (they've only experienced darkness for two nights now.) I'm off work tomorrow so I can watch them somewhat closely to see if there is a specific bully. From what you posted above it sounds like waiting for the bald spot to feather is likely neither necessary or smart, do you think that the extra space in the coop (about 3x what they have now) when I move them there may remedy the problem on its own? In the meantime I will try to expand the brooder with the method shown above, one of the walls is cardboard so I can add another box easily enough, and turn it into a "jail" if I can spot a problem bird.

 

[QuailExpert]

my quail was suddenly attacked from her flock much like this. mine was an overbreeding situation and then others just started to peck her. i isolated her and reintroduced her when her feathers were grown back but within an hour she would be bleeding from her head again. i chose to isolate her from the flock permanently. best decision ive made so far. we had gotten rid of our flock and gve them to a friend because they were becoming a hassle and i kept her. ive named her frightful and she has made a full recovery and is living happily without her flock. she is now less afraid and traumatized and has all the clover she could ever want !

 

[azygous]

The partitioned brooder setup @Spartan22 shows is a solution I've used in the past when I needed to protect an injured chick. It would accommodate splitting your chicks into two groups to protect the injured one while it heals.

Visit an appliance store (Sears or Lowes) and ask for a couple of large cardboard boxes. Fashioning them into a chick condo is fun and easy. I used to cut large windows covered in plastic in mine to let in lots of light and let the chicks watch the world go by.A large pass -through cut into the common wall and covered with screening allows the two groups to safely associate.

Time is what you need to allow the victim and bully to forget this association. One absolute law of Chicken World is that nothing remains the same for long.

 

[llombardo]

I had something similiar with one of my chicks. I used the blue kote. At first try tried to peck at her. I put her in a cat carrier and let it dry. I only kept her seperated for a hour or so. When I put her back in, they were interested but didn't peck her. I think the blue kote deterred them. They have been dine ever since.

 

[IllinoisGuy]

I think I've ID'd the most aggressive chick in the brooder after some watching. It's one of my two RIRs, I'm seeing a lot of charging/chasing at other members, some pecks on heads and at tails. The aggressive one has a larger comb beginning to turn pink at the base, and some red starting to show where wattles would be. My other RIR of about the same age has a barely-there yellow comb, less mangy in appearance and has thinner legs. Based on all I've read and the photos I've seen, may be a rooster. They were supposed to be pullets from BigR, but I know sexing isn't perfect. If he is indeed a rooster, can that result in this aggressive behavior at about 5 weeks of age? Should I separate him in a sectioned off part of the brooder and see what changes? We aren't opposed (at this time) to keeping one rooster, but if he's a pain.....

 

[azygous]

Hormones do show up early in some male chicks, but breed and individual temperament play significant roles in behavior, also.

Now that you've identified the likely culprit, try disciplining him with a poke to the back when he starts going after another chick. This is more effective in younger chicks, but it can sometimes work with an older one. You will need to place him back with the others for this supervised discipline.

 

[IllinoisGuy]

The idea of "pecking" my chicks makes sense, but I honestly don't have time to watch them that long and I'm not that good at getting my hands on them in the brooder anyway, even for "pecks" with my finger. They're fast and don't like me. I imagine I would need to discipline consistently for extended periods of time.

I'm going to Blu-Kote my victim, let it dry up nice, and let her free before lights out, I will watch for awhile. If I see any problems out of my maybe roo tonight or tomorrow I will have to isolate him and maybe that will humble him a bit. I will post an update to let everyone know what worked (or didn't work) after I get them into their coop in a week.

Thanks all.