Vicious chick - would you cull?

[chrissynemetz]

I agree that I would try the older pen, and multiple feed and water stations first. I would only cull as a last resort.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've raised 28 mostly pullets in a 3' x 5' brooder until they were 5 weeks old. They were looking crowded but had not started killing each other. I also raised 21 mostly cockerels in that same brooder until 5 weeks. Again they were looking crowded but had not stated killing each other. I don't think crowding is your issue at three weeks.

I once had a two week old chick being raised by a broody hen kill a hatchmate and then start in on another. The broody ignored what was going on. I isolated that killer chick all day and then put it back with the broody and other chicks. It stopped killing its siblings. I don't know if that would work with yours or not.

If you can put it with older chicks that might work. Just watch if you try, you never know.

I try to solve these problems for the benefit of the flock as a whole, not for one individual. When I was in a somewhat similar situation I did not immediately kill the chick, I tried something else first. But I do solve for the peace of the flock.

 

[chickens really]

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?

Honestly I'm thinking that pen is too crowded..
At 3 weeks chick need entertainment and lots of room to run and possibly too warm.

 

[centrarchid]

Check this out. Crowding not always required. When the dominiques have done it, I think feed somehow involved as in they were malnourished.

 

[chickens really]

Check this out. Crowding not always required. When the dominiques have done it, I think feed somehow involved as in they were malnourished.

If a Rooster was helping to raise those chicks he would of stopped that quickly. Definitely certain breeds of Cockerel fight.

 

[centrarchid]

If a Rooster was helping to raise those chicks he would of stopped that quickly. Definitely certain breeds of Cockerel fight.

I think all breeds have capacity for it, and sometimes even females do it. When females did it, it looked very much like feed was involved. It would cease when feed changed sometimes.

It may be similar in ways to cannibalism, although where I see it attacks are directed at head. In production flocks attacks usually directed at body. Example above has lots of sounds produced indicating aggression.

 

[chickens really]

I think all breeds have capacity for it, and sometimes even females do it. When females did it, it looked very much like feed was involved. It would cease when feed changed sometimes.

It may be similar in ways to cannibalism, although where I see it attacks are directed at head. In production flocks attacks usually directed at body. Example above has lots of sounds produced indicating aggression.

Yes..Pullets can act like that also. I sold off my standard breeds and only have Bantam now. They never act horrible. My Rooster corrects them before things escalate..

 

[Mrs. K]

That definitely was not a space issue.

 

[2 many chickens]

Set out more feeds and waterers. See if that helps.

 

[Noy]

Last spring we got a batch of about 15 chicks of various breeds (all large fowl).
One of them - a speckled Sussex - was aggressive with all the other chicks, going straight for their eyes and injuring them.
We watched for 2 days, tried separating, adjusting things, etc. - but in the end we took it to the huge swap that was taking place that Saturday and gave it to someone who had a whole bunch of slightly bigger chicks (yes, we disclosed why we were rehoming).

And that wasn't a juvenile - that was a tiny, days old chick!