Two Week Old Chicks - Scuffling?

[CheekyChooks]

Hello,

I have 4 baby chicks just over a week old. The silkie and orp are sweet little bundles but the polish and shamo are starting to 'fight' quite regularly. Does this mean they are roos? When I say fighting I mean launching themselves at each other, flapping at each other, one flying onto the others back to push them out the way. When we put all of them in the garden for a few mins for a scrtach around, these two are fine for a while and they start again. It doesn't look too serious cos they are smallish and can't do too much damage. There isn't much pecking, just running, flying, flapping and landing on each other. The polish is actually the biggest and the worst one for starting it and due to the size I'm think she is maybe a he?

Is it possible to tell at this early stage due to these behavioural signs or am I misreading them? They never do this to the other two, but they don't like being away from them and when in the garden they stay close to them like they are protecting them or rounding them up. Again, I could have this all wrong! The polish and shamo do sleep together and have their quiete time too so it is not constant but it is happening increasingly each day.

Any advice would be welcome! Thanks

 

[dsqard]

They are just working out a pecking order. It doesn't mean that they are boys. Even the girls will "chest bump" to figure out who is in charge. As long as they are not hurting each other, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[CheekyChooks]

OK Thanks for that. We have introduced 4 silkie chicks to our little brood and everyone is getting along great. So now we have Molly (Buff Orp), Ginger (Shamo), Peggy (Polish), Suzy (Black Silkie), Matilda and Maisy (we think Matilda might be male due to size difference), Dolly and Daisy. Hopefully we will get some nice hens out of this lot. We are happy to keep all of them if they all turn out to be hens but we have 3 we suspect are roos, possibly one more. Peggy the polish is still only scuffling with the shamo (Ginger) despite the new arrivals ... it just seems like these two have alot to sort out!

 

[mama24]

My worst at this is a light brahma pullet.

She lets all of the others (including some cockerals) know that she is in charge!

 

[Celtic Chick]

I have 2 six week old buff orp pullets that do exactly what you describe. They are going at it constantly, and neither of mine are roos. They leave the aussies alone, but they sure like to pick on each other.
With yours being so young, it is almost impossible to sex them by behavior yet. Give it some time. They grow like weeds!