# Chicks pecking each other bloody?



## valannb22 (Jan 6, 2012)

I have 13 chicks that are almost feathered out, they're about 6-7 weeks old I think. In the last few days, they've started pecking each other and pulling out feathers. Some of the smaller ones are bloody and have bald patches. I've separated those in another enclosure. Any ideas why they're doing this and how to I get them to stop?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Boredom.

I hung some mirrors in the Brooder and coop to keep my girls from doing this. I also added roosts and started giving them kitchen scraps pulsed in the blender.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

valannb22 said:


> I have 13 chicks that are almost feathered out, they're about 6-7 weeks old I think. In the last few days, they've started pecking each other and pulling out feathers. Some of the smaller ones are bloody and have bald patches. I've separated those in another enclosure. Any ideas why they're doing this and how to I get them to stop?


Not enough "wing" room (too tight of confinement)?

Coop. About 4 square foot for each chicken.
10 square feet per chicken for a run.


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## valannb22 (Jan 6, 2012)

Maybe. None of the other batches ever did this and they are in the same pen. How soon do you think it's safe to move the larger ones out with the adult chickens?


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I always make sure I have some stop-pick on hand just in case something like that were to happen. When we used to raise many birds commercially it was a real problem, we do things differently now don't have issues but I still apply some periodically. It is just nasty tasting stuff that also helps to heal wounds, so you can apply it once there is a problem, of course prevention is much better.

Probably a space issue, is the coop too cold for them? I have seen where chicks crowd together due to weather and have issues they wouldn't normally.

Also, assuming they are not lacking protein.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

when ours were doing that we gave them venison liver and hearts and they stopped.


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## valannb22 (Jan 6, 2012)

They're in my laundry room, and it's plenty warm in there. I'm thinking the space issue is probably right. They're getting bigger. I'll buy some of the stop pick and keep the smaller ones separate.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I see this sort of stuff all the time. Once chicks get together it's just a matter of time until....oh wait! We're actually talking about chickens. My bad. Carry on.


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## AKPrepper (Mar 18, 2011)

Sentry18 said:


> I see this sort of stuff all the time. Once chicks get together it's just a matter of time until....oh wait! We're actually talking about chickens. My bad. Carry on.


:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## zimmy (Aug 17, 2012)

If the chicks are in a coop I read that a red light bulb will stop this problem.


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## Starcreek (Feb 4, 2015)

Sounds to me like it's overcrowding. The only time I had problems like that it was because the chicks had gotten too big for the pen.

Beware, though, that unless you have a pen with plenty of room for the little guys to escape, putting them in with the big chickens may result in the big ones picking on the little ones, although they will eventually adjust.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Starcreek said:


> Beware, though, that unless you have a pen with plenty of room for the little guys to escape, putting them in with the big chickens may result in the big ones picking on the little ones, although they will eventually adjust.


I always build a "pen" inside the run so they can get used to each other, but can't make "beak contact". It takes a bout a weel-10 days to get used to each other.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Our chicks are almost five weeks old. When they start getting a little rambunctious, I toss in a few handfuls of hay. Oh, what a happy time in the nursery! 

I also have a small box of fine sand in the corner so they can dust-bathe and that keeps a few of them occupied. It's about 6" deep so the sand stays in the box when they're flipping it on themselves. 

We also have a low roost and a higher roost (independent of each other) so they have a hanging-out place.

We're supposed to have storms over the next ten days. Once the weather clears, I'll start putting them in a pen out in the yard for a couple of hours a day. That will get them used to the outside and will also let the chickens and Guineas realize their lives are about to change.


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## valannb22 (Jan 6, 2012)

Hmm, they did have a red brooder light over them until recently. It's been in the 80s here, so I turned it off thinking they would be getting too hot. There aren't any ac vents in the laundry room and the only ventilation is when I put the chain lock on the back door and crack it open.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

The red lights make the blood less noticeable to them, it works good for prevention, but really only if it is essentially their only illumination.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

If you just want a red light and don't need the heat from a brood light, get a regular fluorescent that's red. You can find them in the light bulb section. We switch from the red brood light to the red fluorescent light when the age of the chicks and the temperature come together. When the chicks go in the coop with the other chickens they have to tough it without the red light.


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## ClemKadiddlehopper (Aug 15, 2014)

I have never had this problem. I hatch 1-2 hundred a year. Lots of room and lots of protein.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

LazyL is correct. Chicks will do this if too confined.


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Freyadog said:


> when ours were doing that we gave them venison liver and hearts and they stopped.


We have some leftover pig liver from our hogs we slaughtered last fall. Would this be ok to feed the chickens? and does it need to be cooked or fed raw?


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## Farmwife (Mar 11, 2012)

Sounds like they are under stress. Chickens have a low tolerance to over crowding, excessive cold or excessive heat. I agree sounds like it is time to find a new space for them. When I transfer my chicks to outside, I usually keep 25 - 30 all male meat birds in a 10 x 10 stall with only one heat lamp in the center temporarily. (Depends on weather and time of year) They can be in the heat or not, their choice plus they love to run around. If they huddle on top of one another their cold. If spaced out just right or warm. They can show signs of over heating when their mouth's are open and panting. (this is when they are older) When they need more room I add a dog pen to the opening of the 10 X 10 stall for more space. Electrolytes in the water which is for stress (vitamins )also help. I keep mine on that thru out their entire growth period and when its excessively hot. I do the same for my layers. Meat birds are usually gone by 8 wks., depending on the heat and how heavy you want them. I hope this helps. I know I for sure made my share of mistakes along the way! (and still learning)


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