Vicious chick - would you cull?

[JuliB]

I have been having a terrible time with chick loss in one pen. Chicks are 3 weeks old. There were 16 of them in a 4x4 pen. I have several pens in the same room of the same barn, similar sized flocks. Lost five chicks over two days, started everyone on Corid and thoroughly disinfected the pen after the first death but they kept dropping. None of the other pens in that room have had any losses.

Fast forward to today. Disinfecting that pen again after removing a lethargic chick with an empty crop. Put fresh water down, fresh food down, and watch because everyone is just huddled in a corner. Finally two approach the water. Like a mini velociraptor, a barnevelder chick rushes out and latches on to one by the face. I grabbed the offending chick, and she had such a tight grip that the other was picked up with it. A few seconds later, another approached the water and she attacked that chick too.

Food and water are NEVER scarce. I had noticed that they have a lot food and water left the past few days. I suspect she has been keeping the others from eating. I saw one with blood on its wing too. I removed her and when I just checked on that pen, everyone is happily eating and drinking, but now the question is what do I do with her? Cull? Toss into an older pen and hope they set her straight?

 

[pinknblackchaos]

Yes I would. Problem will only get bigger as the chick does. Sorry for your losses.

 

[centrarchid]

What are you feeding the chicks?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd cull as last resort but maybe some older chicks would be tough enough to knock it down a peg.

 

[hayley3]

Isn't a 4x4 a bit small for 16? I normally look for a reason as to why a very young chick would be aggressive.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Isn't a 4x4 a bit small for 16? I normally look for a reason as to why a very young chick would be aggressive.

I don't think it's unreasonably small? 1 sq ft per chick, should be sufficient at 3 weeks old (though yes I try to give mine more space than that as well).

 

[Mrs. K]

I would try the older pen, or just by herself for a while. Multiple feed bowls might help, but I think getting her out of there for now is best.

 

[Folly's place]

i agree, multiple feeders and waterers, but for sure get her into another pen, and see if she (he?!) can get humble.
Mary

 

[JuliB]

What are you feeding the chicks?

Purina Chick starter crumbles

 

[centrarchid]

When my game chickens do it, and they are more prone than most breeds, I can cause the aggression to stop by adding a much larger chick, a subadult, or even an adult rooster to group. Adult rooster was my default approach until last couple of years because it was most reliable over a larger size range of immature chickens fighting, sometimes where the fighting had lethal results. Adding bigger birds has problem of violating any bio-security measures you might have.

My young chickens can be so bad about the violence that they will continue even when released free range. Somehow it is an interaction between density of birds, nutrition and physiological changes in the young chickens that appear cyclical in nature. My games simply display it in a more pronounced manner than ornamental breeds.