what is going on with my chicks???

[AdanMtz]

I was hoping to never post in this part of the forums but today when I checked on our 19 chicks and 2 ducks I noticed about 9 of them bleeding from having their tailfeathers pecked off. I've read about chicks and cannibalism being a prob when they are/feel too crowded. Which is the most confusing part of it, yesterday I built them a larger brooder (they are now 2 and a half weeks old) which is 6'x4'x 4'height. I felt they were outgrowing their first one which was a lot smaller 2'x4' I even put in a piece of wood they can roost on. After their first night in their new, bigger brooder I see they pecked at each other so much that half of them are bleeding from their tails after inspecting one of them, I notice the others pecking at another that is also bleeding. Why are they doing this? What do I do for he injured ones? Seperate all the injured ones? What do I clean them with? Can I use peroxide/alcohol on a chick? Has this happened to anyone?


Any help/ suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[G Wiz Ranch]

Go to the feed store and buy BlueKote. Spray on the wounds twice a day if possible. Once one drop of blood shows on a chick, it is hard to get the others from stopping the picking. More impotant than space is food and water. Make sure you have enough feeder/water space for the amount of birds you have. Add and extra feeder/waterer if you can. Don't get the BlueKote on your hands, its like paint and hard to get off.

 

[incubatingisfun]

yeah and also buy a red heat lamp

 

[AdanMtz]

I will use both the bluekote and the red heat lamp, as far as water and feed, they have more than enough(I think, I just added one of each when I put them in the new brooder), I have 2 large feeders and 2 water buckets. Thanks guys I'll keep you posted on how it is going.

 

[AdanMtz]

Sprayed them with something called blue lotion. I looked and asked for bluekote but didn't find it. Seems that the blue lotion is doing the job so far I'll keep an eye out. Didn't find the red heat lamp, but if the problem persist I'll make sure I get it. thanks again for quick responses.

 

[fiberart57]

At 6' x 4' it is still a bit small for that many birds, you have just over 1 sq ft per bird and they're energetic and healthy. The pecked ones have little room to go to get away from the rest of the bunch.

If it's warm enough during the daytime, can you get them outside in like a playpen for awhile? At two and one-half weeks they should be around 80 to 85 degree temperature tolerant. This may help.

BluKote with help as will some extra protein. One of my chicken mentors used to feed her babies ground beef if they started pecking at each other. I know ChickStarter is usually around 22%, but a litte more protein; hamburger every couple of days about, a fingernail's amount per chick, may help as well.

The red brooder bulbs are at the feed stores.

Mary

 

[AdanMtz]

Thats what I'll work on this weekend, making them a little run outside maybe a 10x10. These birds are spoiled they get some lettuce in the mornings and some bread in the evenings, I will throw in some hamburger meat and see how they react to that. today they did not peck at each other (what a releif) I did spray them again. Hopefully they stop all together.

 

[fiberart57]

Sounds like you have a good plan and really spoil the babies. One thing to remember is that, like some children, chicks will readily fill up on lettuce, bread, or other treat food that taste good but don't have the kind of nutritional value they need. You might try decreasing the amount of bread and making them eat their nutritious Chick Starter.

Also, if you give treats like plant matter, make sure they have access to grit because they'll need it to grind their food. You can go outside and scoop up some sand (I grew up in Tucson, AZ and know all about dry, sandy riverbeds) or buy some small, natural aquarium gravel. Others recommend parakeet grit available in pet stores but I've never found any without added calcium and this may be too much for the babies.

Mary