One is getting her tail feathers plucked by the others

[AmyJane725]

Great ideas. Can I leave the cardboard for tonight and add a wire partition tomorrow or should I cut a few windows in it before I go to bed? Sorry to have so many questions!

How warm is it in the area where they are being brooded? Honestly might be better to turn the light off if you think they'd be warm enough together. They don't have very good night vision, and they wouldn't notice her bum in the dark. My chicks get rowdy if I turn on my overhead light. I keep on just a lamp and some little paper lanterns and they're pretty peaceful with that level of light.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Definitely see if you can get a bigger box, like taping together some cardboard boxes or asking around for an appliance box. It looks very crowded especially with the partition. Also do you have a thermometer? How hot is it in there? These tiny totes heat up pretty easily with a heat lamp and I don't see a cool area available, especially for the picked on chick.

 

[AmyJane725]

You could try each other chick in on the partitioned side and see if they all attack her. If you can find one that doesn't it would at least give her some company and help relieve the isolation stress.

 

[SarahMac54]

So I cut a wire piece so the wall partition is half cardboard and half wire and now the others are pecking like mad at it. At least they can see and hear each other. I will figure something else out tomorrow.... Let my little girl heal.

 

[hispoptart]

I had the same set-up as you do, and buy 1 month old they were way to big to be in there. Mine also started to peck at each other. So I secured a heat lamp in the coop and they were so much happier and the fighting stopped. Temps here were still dropping below 30 at that time. I bought a dimmer switch for the heat lamp and by 6-7 weeks I had them weaned of it and they did just fine even with temps still dropping to the low 30's.

 

[TwoShepherds]

How are the chicks doing today? If you're not ready to put the chicks in the coop, and you want a bigger brooder, you might be able to find a dog crate pretty cheap on craigslist or at a flea market, or maybe you even have one lying around the house somewhere. I put my chicks in an XL dog crate that I used when my German shepherds were puppies, lined it with hardware cloth (attached with zip ties), and it seems to be working pretty well so far. We also have several ex-pens. When and if the chicks outgrow the dog crate , I think I will attach the ex-pens to the dog crate with zip ties, and maybe cover the top with chicken wire or cardboard if I think they can jump out.

 

[SarahMac54]

Thank you all! I did race out this morning and get some big boxes- thes girls have a lot of space. Unfortunately the picked on chick is not ready to be reintroduced. I put the blue spray on and tried to put her back in but the ladies went right for her. I talked to the place where I got them and they said to spray the blue stuff -it will take a bit to work just take her out- so she is alone in her own tote in the house on top of the dog crate- seems warm enough and is sleeping comfortably. The others are in the much larger explanded pen in the garade with the heat lamp and seem good. I guess with the lamp- they don't think it is ever night so the reintroduction is hard. I have her totally separate now. I hope temps rise soon so we can get them outside. Still not sure about reintroduction.... Learning as I go and as ai make mistakes.... Love this little injured one...

 

[SarahMac54]

Here is the new brooder box: 3 XL boxes long: We have taken the one that is separated out into another pen. So much better. Now- How to get them all back together????

 

[SarahMac54]

How warm is it in the area where they are being brooded? Honestly might be better to turn the light off if you think they'd be warm enough together. They don't have very good night vision, and they wouldn't notice her bum in the dark. My chicks get rowdy if I turn on my overhead light. I keep on just a lamp and some little paper lanterns and they're pretty peaceful with that level of light.

I thought i needed the lihgt still as they don't have all their feathers...I'd love to turn it off. I keep moving it up and away- hoping I won't need it much longer

 

[Peppercorngal]

These chicks are too old to be in a brooder. They should be outside in a run by now. If a light is necessary it would only be on very cold nights, never during the day. I believe that is your problem. They should be outside pecking in the dirt with lots of room. They are too crowded for their age I think. Chicks can handle more than you think. I can see that they have their feathers, shouldn't need a light, do you not have an outdoor space ready for them? Here's a photo of my last batch of incubator chicks outside at 2 weeks of age in April. They did need a light at this point, but only at night. I just hung it above them in the run and they would get under it at night. They didn't have a mother hen to show them how to climb the ramp into the coop. They are no longer needing it and I put it away. They go into the coop at night now. Good Luck, they are cute little chicks!