Peachick is an EYE PICKER - younger peachick chick badly injured

[MinxFox]

It can be difficult to introduce a younger peachick to an older peachick anyways. I don't think I would try keeping them together until the younger chick is strong enough to run & fly away from this eye pecking peachick. I have an older peachick and a younger one and I don't keep them together at all because the bigger one picks on the young one and the young one shakes in fear every time it sees the big one. instead I take them outside to run around and if the big one tries to peck the little one on the face I push him away. With each outing they are getting better at tolerating each other. Soon I should be able to keep them together. Watch out for your own eyes as well. I like putting peachicks on my shoulder but eventually they get curious and want to try pecking your eyes.

 

[AugeredIn]

We have a few of these every year. One chick will make the other 20 have messed up eye lids and faces. Once I figure out which one it is they go bye bye or into isolation if I have room. They will not stop. Red light does not help as all mine are red lights. Bird color does not matter.

We also have problems with dark birds picking back feathers of the light birds and we separate the dark and light birds to prevent this.

Eye pickers are different. I used to think it was something about the eyes that made them pick. The more I watch the more I believe it is a bully/dominance trait. I will sometimes throw them in with the next older brooder section and let them get a taste of their own medicine.

 

[QueenMisha]

Also I use a red light in my brooder, and with my eye pecker it makes no difference.

could you use a ceramic heat emitter?

I usually do, but in the brooder I have been using for them I've had a heating pad on instead. The chukar brooder, where the eye-picker is now, is using a ceramic heater.

 

[QueenMisha]

We have a few of these every year. One chick will make the other 20 have messed up eye lids and faces. Once I figure out which one it is they go bye bye or into isolation if I have room. They will not stop. Red light does not help as all mine are red lights. Bird color does not matter.

We also have problems with dark birds picking back feathers of the light birds and we separate the dark and light birds to prevent this.

Eye pickers are different. I used to think it was something about the eyes that made them pick. The more I watch the more I believe it is a bully/dominance trait. I will sometimes throw them in with the next older brooder section and let them get a taste of their own medicine.

Does it cease once they reach an older age, or are they usually aggressive their entire lives?

 

[QueenMisha]

It can be difficult to introduce a younger peachick to an older peachick anyways. I don't think I would try keeping them together until the younger chick is strong enough to run & fly away from this eye pecking peachick. I have an older peachick and a younger one and I don't keep them together at all because the bigger one picks on the young one and the young one shakes in fear every time it sees the big one. instead I take them outside to run around and if the big one tries to peck the little one on the face I push him away. With each outing they are getting better at tolerating each other. Soon I should be able to keep them together. Watch out for your own eyes as well. I like putting peachicks on my shoulder but eventually they get curious and want to try pecking your eyes.

He's picked at older birds too. The only other bird who got a seriously hurt eye was the first one I tried to put in with him, a BBW turkey. The turkey was 1 week and the pea was 2 days, it made no difference. The chicken chick I put in with him was smaller, but at least a week old...

 

[QueenMisha]

I have used red heat resistant paint on 125 watt heat lamp bulbs when I wanted a lower wattage bulb

125 is still to high, what I usually use are 40 watt ceramic reptile heaters (no light emitted) and in this case I'm actually using a heating pad. I wonder if painting a regular light bulb could work, used adjacently to my ceramic heaters? I'd need to rig it up, but I suppose it might be worth trying.

 

[AugeredIn]

Does it cease once they reach an older age, or are they usually aggressive their entire lives?

Mine will quit doing it. When I put them in with the older birds they stop.

 

[RubyNala97]

I can't use red lights, the only ones sold around here are 250 watts... we are on a low-power solar system and I can't use more than around 100 watts collectively if I want the other lights in the house to be able to turn on...

I just wanted to say that I found some lower watt red lights for reptiles at the pet store. And also, Walmart is selling regular watt light bulbs in colors now. They had red by me.

 

[connerhills]

Comment on the red bulbs.... One reason they are red is to hide the color of blood if the chicks get crowded and are picking on each other and also to give a little light when the brooder comes on so the chicks can all get back under the heat. You can get a 9 watt bulb that is red and made for brooders, order from Cutlers supply Google them ,, good company to deal with. connerhills

 

[KsKingBee]

I love living is a small town, they have seven-watt bulbs in the local grocery store. White and red.