Protective

[Rebechenson75]

I have 12 day old chicks acting very protective over day to 2 day old chicks. Is this normal?

 

[Debbie292d]

I've had some together about three weeks apart and they pretty much just ignore each other. It sort of cute that yours are acting protective. What breed if I can ask? Mine are silkies.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Protective ...? In what way? Like, protecting them from you? Or protecting them from each other? Are all the older chicks doing this, or just some of them? Can you describe the behavior?

 

[Rebechenson75]

I've had some together about three weeks apart and they pretty much just ignore each other. It sort of cute that yours are acting protective. What breed if I can ask? Mine are silkies.

The older ones are sex links. And usually run from us when we approach. Today they started running up to us and if we tru to touch one of the littles they nip at us and get between us and the little.

 

[Rebechenson75]

Protective ...? In what way? Like, protecting them from you? Or protecting them from each other? Are all the older chicks doing this, or just some of them? Can you describe the behavior?

Getting between us and the littles. Nipping a finger if we try to touch a little one. It's super adorable. They actually stand still for touching and we can pick them up easily now. This all happened after the new ones were added.

 

[Debbie292d]

The older ones are sex links. And usually run from us when we approach. Today they started running up to us and if we tru to touch one of the littles they nip at us and get between us and the little.

At two weeks old to be developing this type of protective behavior it's very unusual as I've never experienced mine doing it nor ever heard of it before. I guess they're doing the pecking order early and you're out!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I might give them a little tap on the top of the head with a fingertip, or a "twap" on the chest - a twap being where you brace the tip of your middle finger against your thumb, then release it quickly so it TWAPS against the chick's chest in a snapping motion. The idea is not to hurt or harm, but to commnicate, "this is not okay, don't do that!" This is "speaking" the birds' natural physical language, it is a reprimand like that a parent bird might administer in the moment. It must be swift and immediate, administered at the very moment the naughty bird pecks you. You are saying, "NO! You may NOT peck this hand, this hand has seniority over you! NO PECKING!" I did this with my baby BJG cockerel when he started coming between me and his hatchmates, in his Big Boy stance, and chest-bumping my hand, starting when he was maybe 4 - 5 days old. He would rush my hand as I was trying to clean the plastic tote I was using as a brooder box, he would do this repeatedly and my first thought was, Oh, how cute. My second thought was, This is no beuno! I need him to be a GOOD rooster! So one day we had it out. I determined if he attacked my hand 200 times I would "peck" him back 201 - or in other words, until he backed down. It did not take 200+ times. And after that he was an amazing cockerel, perfect with me and his ladies. Until, sadly, at about 8 months a coyote got him and 4 of my Australorp Hens.

 

[Debbie292d]

I might give them a little tap on the top of the head with a fingertip, or a "twap" on the chest - a twap being where you brace the tip of your middle finger against your thumb, then release it quickly so it TWAPS against the chick's chest in a snapping motion. The idea is not to hurt or harm, but to commnicate, "this is not okay, don't do that!" This is "speaking" the birds' natural physical language, it is a reprimand like that a parent bird might administer in the moment. It must be swift and immediate, administered at the very moment the naughty bird pecks you. You are saying, "NO! You may NOT peck this hand, this hand has seniority over you! NO PECKING!" I did this with my baby BJG cockerel when he started coming between me and his hatchmates, in his Big Boy stance, and chest-bumping my hand, starting when he was maybe 4 - 5 days old. He would rush my hand as I was trying to clean the plastic tote I was using as a brooder box, he would do this repeatedly and my first thought was, Oh, how cute. My second thought was, This is no beuno! I need him to be a GOOD rooster! So one day we had it out. I determined if he attacked my hand 200 times I would "peck" him back 201 - or in other words, until he backed down. It did not take 200+ times. And after that he was an amazing cockerel, perfect with me and his ladies. Until, sadly, at about 8 months a coyote got him and 4 of my Australorp Hens.

Awe, so sorry about the darn coyote

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Awe, so sorry about the darn coyote

Thanks. I'm convinced he tried.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Awe, so sorry about the darn coyote

This was a one-off. That darn coyote struck right after my GOOD Sheltie, Gracie (r.i.p.), had had extensive surgery to remove multiple large and involved fatty tumors from all over her body. She was out of commission and flat-out for the better part of the week.