Red bulb made my chick violent?

[prepperchickens]

So I went out and got a red bulb for my 3 brooder babies, 2 straight run silver sebrights 2 wks old and 1 male guinea keet 6 days old, I just thought it would be good for them, we've had no problems but as all. As I switched it my sebright roo started pulling on my keets little winglet feather! Literally within 1 minute of changing the light? I switched it back but he was still all ****** off for another 10 mins and periodically went after my goofy little keet! He did this the first day I put my keet in with them but since then they've been best friends. I don't get it, I thought red light was supposed to calm chicks down? There's nothing funnier than watching a pip squeak sebright cockerel go after something (my keets already bigger than him but like all my guineas he doesn't have a mean bone in his body and tolerates abuse) like a big tough guy but still, what gives?

 

[GitaBooks]

Cute chicks!

I just thought I'd let you know, Sebrights are mean! Yes, I love them, but my Sebright rooster fought with the other roosters all the time until we had to get rid of him and attacked me all the time, even though I raised him! My Sebright hen killed another hens chicks (we're pretty sure). My half Sebright crossbreeds were vicious when broody.

Red lights may effect how they see things, since birds can see into the UV spectrum of light. However, picking at feathers isn't aggression. Feather picking can be a sign that the chick thinks there is food there, that the chicks don't have enough protein, that they are too hot, or that it is just your chicks personality.
I have a chick named Shirley who loves to pick at others toes and wing feathers, but its all curiosity.

It might help to keep them distracted if you add a branch to play on or even just a brick. They love to perch on them.

Best of luck to you!

 

[prepperchickens]

Cute chicks!

I just thought I'd let you know, Sebrights are mean! Yes, I love them, but my Sebright rooster fought with the other roosters all the time until we had to get rid of him and attacked me all the time, even though I raised him! My Sebright hen killed another hens chicks (we're pretty sure). My half Sebright crossbreeds were vicious when broody.

Red lights may effect how they see things, since birds can see into the UV spectrum of light. However, picking at feathers isn't aggression. Feather picking can be a sign that the chick thinks there is food there, that the chicks don't have enough protein, that they are too hot, or that it is just your chicks personality.
I have a chick named Shirley who loves to pick at others toes and wing feathers, but its all curiosity.

It might help to keep them distracted if you add a branch to play on or even just a brick. They love to perch on them.


Best of luck to you!

Thanks! I don't know if I made it very clear in my post but the little roo was definitely attacking my keet, lol, he pulled at a wing feather but went into jump on him and aggressively peck him down a few times in only 10 mins, lol. It really is adorable but I don't want my keet hurt. They are usually very close and the rooster cries like a baby the minute I take the keet out of the brooder. Loud, piercing cheeps. I have several perches in there for them, including two bench swing type perches. I give them grit so they can enjoy fresh clover, oatmeal (for the sebrights who had pasty but when I got them), and mealworms I break up for them. They also get medicated food and braggs in their water. I normally don't go overboard with extras, my other keets and chicks have had less extras, but the sebrights seem so small and delicate I feel I have to give them a boost. Once I added the keet to the brooder it helped with their energy levels a lot and I probably mood too because there were only 2 initially.
So you raised sebrights? You are a wealth of information for me, these chicks are giving me wrinkles mostly because of their reputation as feeble. They haven't actually had any problems beside pasty butt but their reputation keeps me up at night. Any advice? I don't know what to do to introduce them to the bigger flock, the keet is quickly outgrowing them! This pic is a week or so old but I love it

 

[GitaBooks]

Very cute!

I think the reputation for being fragile is for show birds only. They are suppose to be tiny, but mine are larger than my OEG bantams. I think hatcheries don't breed them as small as show people do. Mine were very talkative as well, though I've never actually seen them attack before, at least not as chicks.

Once the chicks are fully feathered than you should be able to introduce them. Do it carefully, placing them in a pen where they can see the other chickens but are safe. After a week or so, once they are large enough that they won't be injured by the occasional peck, you can attempt an introduction. Try doing it when the chickens are calm, full, and distracted by something like food. Keep an eye on them the first day.

Is your flocks all bantams, all standards or a mix?

Do you have other guinea fowl?


(My mixed flock. Beauty, my sebright hen, is the little one in the left corner. The barred rooster is her favorite rooster, even though she is so tiny. She is part of the standard group and doesn't care for the other bantams)



Best of luck!

 

[prepperchickens]

Very cute! I think the reputation for being fragile is for show birds only. They are suppose to be tiny, but mine are larger than my OEG bantams. I think hatcheries don't breed them as small as show people do. Mine were very talkative as well, though I've never actually seen them attack before, at least not as chicks. Once the chicks are fully feathered than you should be able to introduce them. Do it carefully, placing them in a pen where they can see the other chickens but are safe. After a week or so, once they are large enough that they won't be injured by the occasional peck, you can attempt an introduction. Try doing it when the chickens are calm, full, and distracted by something like food. Keep an eye on them the first day. Is your flocks all bantams, all standards or a mix? Do you have other guinea fowl? (My mixed flock. Beauty, my sebright hen, is the little one in the left corner. The barred rooster is her favorite rooster, even though she is so tiny. She is part of the standard group and doesn't care for the other bantams) Best of luck!

Thanks so much! I have a 3 mos old Easter egger, a 3 mos old guinea hen, and a month old barred rock hen. I lost my two boys to a cat attack recently and was replacing them by getting the sebrights and keet. I didn't intend to get sebrights not had I ever seen them but I saw these little guys at rural king in the assorted bantam pen and they just looked too tiny to be in rural king. All the bantams did but the sebrights looked like little angel babies. I had no idea what they were at first and I didn't know they had a rep for being so difficult to raise. Mine seem tough in the brooder but when I pick them up they're so small and they go limp, lol, they just go to sleep which makes it worse because I feel like they're weak when really they may just love the warmth of my hand. My keet is a psycho, he's the most hyper playful keet or chick I've had so far, he even talks back to me when I make his sounds. Btw, I swear the sebrights are mimicking the keets noises (the little honks). So far the rooster is a big baby, he even used to hide his little head under his sister whenever he got scared lol. He is the tame one of the two, he likes when I hold him and snuggle him, he falls asleep right away but his sister is a bit more nervous. They're named Atilla and Serenity lol

 

[GitaBooks]

Keets, once fully feathered, should be introduced to their coop, as they are notorious for not excepting new homes. Make sure to keep it locked up in the coop for a few weeks until it learns that is its home. I would introduce him to his "older sister" as soon as he is big enough so the two learn to get along. Do it carefully, to prevent bullying.

Sebright roosters love any sized hens, so the two should do fine with the hens. I'd be more worried about the little girl getting bullied, so make sure they are fully feathered and introductions are done carefully.

As for falling asleep in your hands, I have an OEG rooster that doesn't like to be touched or handled, but once I catch him he falls asleep! Very cute.

 

[prepperchickens]

Keets, once fully feathered, should be introduced to their coop, as they are notorious for not excepting new homes. Make sure to keep it locked up in the coop for a few weeks until it learns that is its home. I would introduce him to his "older sister" as soon as he is big enough so the two learn to get along. Do it carefully, to prevent bullying.

Sebright roosters love any sized hens, so the two should do fine with the hens. I'd be more worried about the little girl getting bullied, so make sure they are fully feathered and introductions are done carefully.

As for falling asleep in your hands, I have an OEG rooster that doesn't like to be touched or handled, but once I catch him he falls asleep! Very cute.

My little keet is only 6 days old right now (and already bigger than my 2 week old sebrights) but I've been bringing him out to the garage (right now we keep our girls in a big wire dog cage in the garage, we let them have the run of the garage until night time, we build the coop this weekend but Ive been procrastinating because I have PTSD about the cat attack that killed my 2 boys, a guinea and barred rock who obviously gave their lives for the girls) and he's already had the nerve to steal meal worms from the girls and jump up trying to get worms out of their mouths. He did this at 3 days old. I've been too afraid to take the sebrights out much because unlike him, they just hold very still and cry when I do. So far our guineas have been remarkably tame, and very very good about staying close to home and close to me. They lead the chickens and until the cat attack were in the garden with me everyday without ever wandering more than 10 ft from me. I won't be letting them free range unfortunately, too many wild cats around. If need be they can come inside or go in the fenced part of the yard but if space becomes an issue I will have to make an extended daytime run area I guess. Losing my boys to that cat was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me (and trust me I e had more than my fair share of trauma-I just really love my birds). I'm planning on possibly having to keep my sebrights inside sometimes, especially if bullied. I have 6 cats inside but they are remarkably gentle, one time my baby rescue squirrel got out while I was at work as I A&E home to all 6 cats around him in a circle just chilling, he was calmly in the middle eating something he found in the cabinet and no one had laid a paw on him. I don't trust them fully with young birds but once they aren't toy size anymore my cats will be fine if some come inside. Part of me regrets the sebrights because I know I'm always going to be concerned. If I could do it over again I would just get some barred rocks and some guineas, I love allll my birds but that's the problem: I love them so much I am neurotic and my barred rock hen is so easy, so curious (she always wants to see new things and fears very little) and calm, and my guineas are so far all so friendly and goofy and they mind me very well, and both barred rocks and guineas are super hardy so I do to worry so much. The Easter egger is a spaz even though I raised her, and like the sebrights I got her because I was worried about her in the store (she was all alone, and already almost 2 wks...I got the guineas to keep her company because no chickens were left).

 

[GitaBooks]

I love my chickens too

and worry about them.

Are you sure it was a cat attack? Cats don't usually take on large males.

Its good to introduce your keet to the others like you are, so keep that up. I would wait until the sebrights were larger, however, to try any intros.
When the keet gets too large for the sebrights, I would suggest permanently moving him out with the other keets, so he doesn't hog the food or accidentally step on them.

As mentioned, Sebrights are pretty tough little things. Mine survive in below zero temperatures during the winter, so they are pretty tough little guys. Still, don't move them out until they are fully feathered.

 

[GitaBooks]

And I'm sorry to hear about your poor boys.

 

[prepperchickens]

I love my chickens too and worry about them.

Are you sure it was a cat attack? Cats don't usually take on large males.

Its good to introduce your keet to the others like you are, so keep that up. I would wait until the sebrights were larger, however, to try any intros.
When the keet gets too large for the sebrights, I would suggest permanently moving him out with the other keets, so he doesn't hog the food or accidentally step on them.

As mentioned, Sebrights are pretty tough little things. Mine survive in below zero temperatures during the winter, so they are pretty tough little guys. Still, don't move them out until they are fully feathered.

My guinea male was only a couple of months old so he was certainly not full-size and actually I find that the males are slightly smaller while young than the females, unfortunately I came outside to find the cat on top of him. I was surprised, I would think most cats would be intimidated by a bird nearly their size. I'm guessing he wanted my little barred rock hen and Little Foot ran at him to save the girls. I had constructed a temporary little enclosure for them in the daytime for when I would run back inside real quick to grab something or whatever so they were not outside by themselves, because just the day before I had done that and come back outside to find my little barred rock rooster chick who was about two or 2 1/2 weeks old missing. I thought it was a hawk or owl because there was just no sign of him and it had been so quick so I designed an enclosure that protected then from hawks, I didn't even know we had feral cats nor that they would dismantle a screen to get to my relatively large birds. Little Foot, my male guinea, was hands down my favorite bird. He was my shadow, he loved me, he loved being held and pet and was always by my side and I feel so guilty for putting him in that death trap. I know he ran at that cat to save the girls, and I suspect my little roo did the same thing. I have so much guilt and regret that I now seriously coddle my birds and basically don't like leaving the house for more than an hour or two, I have flashbacks of the bloody feathery site of little foots body under that cat every time I open the door to check on the birds. I've never lost any pet that way.
In building the coop I'm going to go over the top to make it secure. I worry about coons so I'm going to padlock it at night. I also worry about sick, cruel human beings since I live in a neighborhood vs the country. Part of me wants to just keep them in the garage but it's getting overwhelming with the poop and I know my birds love the sunshine.
This guinea keet is extremely important to me, he is like Little Foot on speed, he's even more loving and friendly (since I had him from a day old vs a week) and sometimes I tell myself he's little foot reincarnated lol. I don't know if I was cut out to raise poultry, I didn't realize how much of a challenge predators would be. To me, chickens/guineas are the most innocent, happy creatures and it kills me to think how in danger they always are. They're helpless in a way. And it's sad because I've never seen animals more in love with life, simple little things make them so happy. It's so calming to just sit and watch them, listen to their little songs...right now I dig up squares of clover/dandelion in the yard attached to the soil so my girls feel like they're really foraging in the garage and whenever I plop the squares down on the ground for them they just light up and run over to investigate and scarf down greens. Then they all bed down on the cool surface of it and nap. They look at me with such gratitude and love...I know that sounds crazy but they do. We weren't close when the boys were alive, my guinea hen was the only girl who really came to me (she flies into my lap!) but after the boys died it was like overnight the girls all rallied around me. My barred rock hen went from kinda standoffish to actually not wanting to get off of me, stretching her little neck out to be pet and pass out on my arm. I don't know if the boys just had dibs on me or if the girls knew I needed their support but I love them so much now, and I can tell they love me. My guinea hen plays "tag, you're it" with me when she wants attention lol. She clearly wants me to chase her back. I just want to protect them all from ugliness and pain and fear because they're so innocent (except maybe my mean little baby sebright roo lol).
Is your coop a bunker? I plan to get a cheap baby monitor thing, those walkie talkie kinds, and stick it in there so I can always hear them. I know their sounds well.
Also, any tips for helping this rooster grow into a civilized gentleman vs a savage? I can tell he will take good care of his hens already, he's already protective (when he first attacked the keet it was whenever he accidentally got close to his sister) and already kinda stands back to observe stuff. My barred rock roo was a sweet sweet boy and a hero in the end but he was never ever aggressive or cocky. I find male chicks and keets like being held more readily and are more interested in me, but some say handling a roo makes them mean? Like a respect thing? Whenever he goes after my keet I dominate him and put him in his place but he loves to be held warm in my hand and I feel like that's important for a chicks well being, their mom would give them contact like that, so I can't stand to just never ever handle him. Your take?