they keep pecking at each other!

[lightpollution]

I've only had my babies for a day - I've never raised chickens before. Is it normal for the chicks to be aggressive towards each other? They peck at each others beaks and pull out tufts of each others down. They get especially aggressive towards each other when feeding. Their feeder is big enough for all of them but for some reason they feel inclined to all crowd on top and shove each other off!

At first I thought it was maybe just because they didn't have enough space (I didn't have time to go set up a brooder so they're just in a cardboard box right now) but I switched their box for a bigger one and they still peck at each other. Come to think of it even when I took them outside to play in the grass they were pecking at each other!

It's actually kind of funny because when they go to sleep they all like to huddle next to each other (I have a lamp set up next to their box but I think I need to get an actual heat lamp) and get all cozy. I have no idea what's going on. I just don't want them to seriously hurt each other.

 

[lightpollution]

Oh yeah and there's four of them

 

[lightpollution]

bump bump bump

 

[Chirpy]

Welcome to BYC lightpollution!

A couple of things... first it is against the rules to bump your post. You need to give people a chance to respond. I would give people 24 hours to give you an answer before thinking that nobody has seen your post. I know how terribly hard it is to wait for that all important answer when you ask a question. Patience, patience, patience...

You've heard the old saying "hen pecked"; well, this is where it comes from. Chickens peck each other - that's a normal part of their life. As they get older it may get worse until they have worked out the "pecking order" of the flock. If they draw blood on a chick you do need to remove that chick and use something like Blu-cote on the wound and not put the chick back until it's healed. When chickens see blood - they will go for more! That's one of the reasons that people use red lights for heat lamps - it seems to lesson the pecking issues.

Space is the biggest reason for hen pecking with chickens. They need plenty of space so you may need to get an even bigger box for them. How big is the box for these four little ones right now?

Just keep an eye on them so that nobody ends up bloody and let them do their thing.

Enjoy them!

 

[lightpollution]

Oh poop I'm sorry! I should've read the rules I guess, lol. Thanks for the advice though! No one has drawn blood but I'll make sure to look out for that.