why do they pick on her?

[wildriverswolf90]

My lil mabel is so much smaller than the others nearly half the size. They are all buff orps. She is last in line for food and water and when they snuggle up under the heat lamp she is always forced away

! Is there anything I can do? Or do the others think she will die :'( ...I hope not she is my favorite! And while the others are showing sign of getting flight feathers she has none ! They are 5 days old! And I will post pics as soon as my camera is workin!

 

[kyeschicks]

ahh it's the pecking order

there's not really nothing you can do....unless separate her from them. If it's that bad, then I suggest you to maybe buy her a friend (or just get one from the ones you have that doesn't pick on her a lot) and move them into a separate place. They might settle down, but I don't know. Someone will come and help you

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Out of 20 chicks we ordered, one was very weak. She (I named her Dove) was pushed around when trying to eat and drink. Thankfully, Dove could drink just fine, but she had a difficult time eating. With a lot of prayer and care, Dove healed and is now laying, praise God!!! Here is what I did for her and what I would suggest you do with yours.

What I would do with Mabel is put her in a separate box with a heat lamp so that she stops being pushed around. Can she eat and drink fine? If so, take a friend to keep with her for about a week or until she gets strong enough to fend for herself. If not, I would make softened chick food for her and roll them into little pellets. Start force-feeding her until her her crop feels full (about as big as a marble). If she has trouble drinking, drop water onto her beak. I would purchase Poly-vi-sol vitamins without iron and give her two drops a day for 3-4 days. Then give her one drop daily until she is stronger. Because dropping the Poly-vi-sol on Dove's beak was making her too messy, I put the drops in one of her pellets and fed her that pellet first. I fed her every 1-2 hours. Dove, also, was smaller than the other chicks for about 3 weeks. Then she really started catching up. She began eating on her own, drinking on her own, and escaping from her box on her own.

I hope this helps and that your little Mabel gets better!

 

[wildriverswolf90]

Thank you all so much for advice and support

I will put mabel by herself for now as it seems they all pick on her, but I do have some 1day old cochins coming thrusday could I put her with them for a couple days then put'em all together?? O and she eat and drinks alright when they let her. *sigh*

 

[kcfuerst]

It would be a good idea to separate the offender(s), not Mabel. If you separate Mabel from the flock, when you put her back she will get picked on even more. Removing a chick from the flock changes the pecking order. Separation usually makes the chick go down a few notches in seniority.

 

[PioneerPrincess]

I would see how it goes. If she seems strong enough by the time you're ready to join them, then I would put her with the others. If she is still being pushed around, I would keep her separate and put a friend or two with her until she is stronger. Is your box/ brooder large enough for them? It could be they don't have enough space to move around. Hope this helps!