Pecking order or bullying?

[Newclucker91]

I have 4 americauna chicks, they are a week old, I have had them for 4 days now so they've been together for a bit. They all are about the same size but one of the chicks has a couple extra feathers. That particular chick has been nipping at the other three constantly. No major Injuries but in my experience with hens (usually buy as pullets outdoor ready, decided start from The beginning to show the kids.) And It looks like bullying , especially when it comes to roosting places. The chick is a week old so I could cull and get a new chick after the other 3 grow close. Or I could separate for a few days?

 

[sourland]

As long as blood is not being drawn, I would just monitor the behavior. How much space do they have?

 

[Newclucker91]

As long as blood is not being drawn, I would just monitor the behavior. How much space do they have?

4 x2x2 enclosure with a brooder box for them to get In to to warm up in, light and heating pad ambient temp say 87f. Plenty of food, water and some Maple saplings for them to peck at. They usually love running running about but that one chick suddenly got an attitude.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Here's some ideas for boredom busters, as well as an article with further info on ways to deal with chicks attacking their broodmates: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chick-pecking-other-chick.1430088/#post-23567316

 

[aart]

4 x2x2 enclosure with a brooder box for them to get In to to warm up in, light and heating pad ambient temp say 87f. Plenty of food, water and some Maple saplings for them to peck at. They usually love running running about but that one chick suddenly got an attitude.

Can you post a pic of brooder set up?
Do they have a place to cool off?
They are a bit young to have vegetation to eat.

 

[Ridgerunner]

And It looks like bullying , especially when it comes to roosting places. The chick is a week old so I could cull and get a new chick after the other 3 grow close. Or I could separate for a few days?

I don't like adding a single chick if it can be avoided. Chickens are social animals and want to be with other chickens, which can lead to issues if you try to add a single chicken. If you do try to add only one I'd try as soon as possible. Or if you add two, as soon as possible. It often works better if they are younger.

I had a two-week-old chick that killed a sibling and started in on another, attacking the head. I locked that chick up by itself all day while the broody hen had the others out foraging for food. It worked, that chick stopped attacking its siblings. Sometimes isolation can change behaviors, sometimes not. That was a cockerel by the way. It's too early to reliably sex your chicks by feathers but my culprit was a cockerel. Pullets can be aggressive and just plain brutes but with something like that it is a little more likely to be a cockerel.

My broody hens take their chicks out foraging real soon after they take them off of the nest, that includes vegetation. Their first stop is generally somewhere they can get grit by pecking at the ground. As long as they have grit and the vegetation is in small bites (they can break off small bites instead of having to eat big chuncks if it is kind of anchored) I don't see a problem of young chicks getting some vegetation. My broody hens apparently don't either.

I don't know how vicious that chick is in nipping at the others. It may be something it grows out of. It may not be that bad. Possibly it is nipping at feathers as they grow in as feathers are different from down. It is hard to know exactly what is going in even when you are there to see it, it's even more challenging over the internet. Pecks at the head are more dangerous than pecking the body. Sourland's suggestion on letting it go unless there are injuries is a valid way to go. In many circumstances I'd go that way. But you indicated you can isolate the chick. That would be my suggestion.

Good luck.