What About a Cage in the Coop?

[ClareScifi]

I tried re-introducing my pecked newborn chick, named Pectin to the mother hen,
but she went after him.
She didn't manage to peck him this time, luckily.

Then I tried putting the other chick that had also been pecked by the Mama
yesterday with him in the brooder box in the house, after treating Pectin's
pecked areas with Rooster Booster (I couldn't find Blue-Cote). At first the
Rooster-Booster,
which is stinky, repelled the 2d chick from pecking, but soon it started up
pecking Pectin's owie again. So that won't work. The 2d chick had only one side of
her head pecked by the Mama, whereas Pectin got it on both sides. The Mama
took the lesser pecked chicken back into her nest, but Pectin had been hurt pretty
bad by the pecks, so I took him in the house with me.

Pectin really came to life when I took him out to the coop and he was around the
other chicks and Mama this morning, even just when hearing them from inside
his brooder box, and not even seeing them yet.
His spirits rose. Do you think I could keep him in a
cage out there in the coop during the day for the stimulation of being around the
other chicks and the Mama and then bring him back in at
night to keep warmer in the brooder box?

He seems so lonely in the house. All opinions will be appreciated.

He had had one eye that wouldn't open, but once I put vitamins and electrolytes
in his water this morning, it opened right up.

I would say Mama had pecked him because he was weaker and sicklier, but I
don't think so. She's a new Stepmother Hen, and she was still trying to
hatch several eggs when all these little baby chicks came out from under
her yesterday and went in all directions, unnerving Mama Hen. She started
madly pecking at 3 of them, trying to get them back under her. Poor Little
Pectin went the farthest from her and she disciplined him with her beak the
most severely.

After Mama caught on that chicks are just little bundles of energy, Mama
settled down and there were no more pecking episodes. Until today, when
I tried re-introducing Pectin to her. And she didn't actually peck him, but she went
after him, and I didn't want to take any chances.


Clare

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Even in a cage out there in the coop you will need to supplement heat for him, but yes, that seems like a good compromise. Good luck!!

 

[teddiliza]

Maybe after he heals indoors under a heat lamp, you could bring in a friend or two for him in the brooder box, so he has a 'gang' to hang with until they are old enough to go outside with a place to hide from 'mad mama'. If you do keep him inside for a few weeks, it will just make him that much more tame if you give him daily attention and snuggles. I think he'd get too cold in a cage in the coop and needs that heat lamp since mama won't let him snuggle. I"ve had a few chicks this year that had to be separated early, but they needed to heal without being pecked by others. I kept them near my cockatiels with the heat lamp and brooder box so it wasn't too quiet. They all did fine and socialized with the other chicks after a brought in a few from the broody for company once they had healed.

 

[ClareScifi]

I noticed that the temperature in the coop with the thermometer atop his cage was 94 - 96 F, without a heat lamp supplement. So would I still have to supplement with the heat lamp? Isn't it just for warmth or is the light aspect to it important, as well?

I did bring a non-pecking chick in to spend the night with him, but she squawked so loudly for her mother and coopmates that I took her back to the coop. Little Pectin seemed relieved to be an only child again. LOL But maybe 2 other chicks might do okay in the box with him.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I think it's a good idea to put him near the others during the day, as long as he's warm enough, it may help to integrate him with the others, he can't stay in the house forever..
I used to take some orphan chicks outside into their own pen daily, so they can run around, catch bugs and gets some sun..it worked out fine and they were much happier, too bad you can't pair him up with another chick? so when they get older he won't be solo
Another thing that works pretty well is to jail the offender (pecker) and give the peckee free run of the coop.... 90 degrees is warm enough anyway...just watch and make sure he's not standing around with feathers puffed out and looking cold..unfortunately once the hen and chick bond is broken it usually won't be repaired

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
As long as your coop is draft-free that temp is fine. If it's occasionally drafty, I'd add a small wattage lamp to one end so he can go over to it if he wants to...

 

[Terri O]

If it's that warm by you I would leave him outside all the time. Just do the light thing at night if the temp tends to drop. If he is out there all the time you will notice when he is ready to join the others...she might not want to take him back but he will be big enough to stay out of her way then and wont get picked on by the other chicks if they "know" him already. HTH--

 

[ClareScifi]

It is still cold here at night. We're just having some unseasonably warm days. It would be hard to keep him warm enough in there at night, even with a heat lamp, and there's no electricity. So maybe I'll just take him out there on these warm afternoons and bring him in when the temperature drops below 90 F?