PLEASE - need serious help with my chicks pecking eachother!

[mandapanda3186]

I'm so confused. I don't know what to do! Here's the backstory...

I had all of my chicks in one brooder. as they got older I moved my 8 BRs in with my ducks. The BRs pecked at my ducks so I separated them and moved the BRs into their coop as it was just finished. I also moved my ISA browns and EEs into the coop with the BRs and out of the other brooer. This left 6 bantams approx 6 weeks and 5 chicks about 3 weeks(1 aust. 1 SLW 1 BSL and 2 BOs) I left the bantams with the younger chicks as they are still teeny tiny. 2 porcelain d'uccle, 2 mille fleurs and 2 randoms I'm not sure the breeds yet. The chicks in the coop did fine but the next night the chicks in the brooder...somebody pecked at one of my BOs. I decided it must be space or boredom so I decided to move them ALL out to the coop with 2 heat lamps. Last night was the first they were all out in the coop. I was nervous that it would be cold. No, they were fine but now one of my porcelain d'uccles have feathers ripped out and is bleeding. Or was, its dried. I took a closer look at others and noticed that some of the others have feathers plucked too..but not bleeding or sore, just some bare spots by their butts and one on its back.

The coop is 8 x 13. Sand floor. 2 waterers and 1 feeder. 2 roosts with 2 heat lamps in one corner. WHY are they pecking? I don't know what to do! They're on chick grower and I was thinking to start them on scraps soon. I have oyster shell I will be putting in today as an offer with some of the scraps/treats.

Can't be space....the coop is plenty big

Are they bored? What can I do to help with that?

Is it something missing nutrition wise? What do I give?

Is it habit that they got in the brooder? Anytime I watch them nobody pecks anybody!

Maybe one is a more aggresive breed? I didn't think I had any...I do have 1 roo(I'm almost positive) he's a bantam, breed unknown(can't post pics, I'm on my phone) but he's the one with his back pecked at I mentioned earlier.

I'm at a loss....I need some serious advice! PLESAE help! And I hope I'm posting under the right topic...if not I apologize...

 

[BeccaOH]

I wish I could help. I've raise a LOT of chicks, but I can't really say that I've ever had a real issue with pecking. Boredom will cause it, but the bigger space should help. Colors like red can aggravate or encourage curious pecking, so if any chick is bleeding, separate them.

Sometimes too much bright light from a brooder lamp for 24/7 can aggravate them, but again the space in the coop should help that and give them darker areas to get away from the light.

Can you add some "toys"? Maybe grass clippings or a head of lettuce or a flockblock (though they may still be too young for the grains in the block).

As for nutrition, I've always used Flockraiser from Purina (or now my local feed store's more generic version) on all my young poultry.

 

[teach1rusl]

I would add another feeder, spaced as far as possible from the other one. Sometimes it's not meaness or boredom. I just sat outside and watched both of my little d'uccle chicks (9 weeks) yanking the heck out of the feather shafts of two of my silkie chicks (10.5 weeks) as they were sand bathing. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the feather shafts sticking out of the silkies sides look kind of wormy, so I think that was the attraction, as they've gotten along well since they were 2 weeks old. I would sit with them as much as possible this weekend and just observe them...