The Bully and the Runt

[YaYasDottes]

I picked up my first chicks today. They are four gold laced and four silver laced Wyandottes.

I noticed right away that the gold ones are bigger than the silver ones. Drumstick is the biggest gold and the biggest in the flock. She is either very selfish or very bossy. She has to be the first at everything. The water. The food. The Brinsea warmer. She stands guard over the water, which seems to intimidate all the others. She pecks at them if they get too close. She even pecks my hand if I dare to get it near her.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a runt who is about half the size of the others and the smallest silver. Kiwi cowers at the very back of the warmer or hangs out by herself at a secondary food dish. I have tried to get her to drink, but she doesn't seem to understand it very well. She pecks at the water as if it were food. She seems hungry at times and dives under the other chicks to sit in the middle of the feed bowl. Then, she picks up a crumble and just spits it back out.

She does not have a pasty bottom, and I did see her poop. She was actually the first to do so!

Any suggestions regarding these two?

 

[sloanbychoice]

I would just make sure to have multiple feeders and waterers for them. A bully can only guard one at a time really. It gives lower chicks the chance to get a bite or drink before being run off.

 

[aart]

How big is your brooder?
Dimensions and pics would help.

Were these chicks shipped?
Did you dip all their beaks?

Agrees multiple feeders and waterers.
Might try grinding the crumble in the blender.
I do this for the first week or so.

 

[YaYasDottes]

How big is your brooder?
Dimensions and pics would help.

Were these chicks shipped?
Did you dip all their beaks?

Agrees multiple feeders and waterers.
Might try grinding the crumble in the blender.
I do this for the first week or so.

Thanks for the insights. Within 48 hours of picking up these chicks, so much has changed! I gave the bully a little peck on the back every time she harassed the others. She is now keeping to herself more and staying under the warmer as much as possible.

The runt has been the biggest surprise. I hand fed all of them some scrambled egg yesterday. Kiwi was transformed! She began devouring more feed than the others and hopped into my hand whenever I offered food. She is not the ruler of the roost, but she is no longer getting picked on.

The brooder is a 4x2 Rubbermaid container with a top. The top has a 1/2" hardware mesh window that is about 2x2. I have 3 feeders, two hand feeders , and one large waterer on a board. No one is hogging either food or water any more.

We put leg bands on them and checked for underdeveloped or pasty vents. Some weren't happy when I picked them up, but for the most part, they eagerly jumped into my hand later in the day, even if I didn't offer any food.

All was well, and they eagerly went to bed with the fading light at 8:30. Looking forward to new antics today!