Aggression in Young Chick

[mama_cucco]

Hello! My 6 chicks just arrived earlier today and we have them all set up. Everyone is happy and content, minus one chick who is constantly going after the others’ eyes - they cry and run away, and she just keeps at them. They’re supposed to be less than a week old (supposedly a day) easter eggers. I know there can be environmental factors. The temperature at their level is holding at 90°F. There’s plenty of bedding, food, & water. If it were the environment, I wouldn’t expect the other 5 chicks to all be content.

Edit: Adding images of our set-up. The offending chick is in the smaller box currently. This set-up is temporary for a couple of days, as they arrived earlier than expected.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Do you mean the entire brooder is 90 degrees? Do you have a picture of your brooder? Chicks only need a spot to warm up. It is equally just important that they have an area to cool down. Being too hot can cause chicks to act distressed and attack others.

 

[mama_cucco]

Do you mean the entire brooder is 90 degrees? Do you have a picture of your brooder? Chicks only need a spot to warm up. It is equally just important that they have an area to cool down. Being too hot can cause chicks to act distressed and attack others.

The area immediately beneath the red light is 90°. The smaller box in front is where I have temporarily separated the offending chick.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

The area immediately beneath the red light is 90°. The smaller box in front is where I have temporarily separated the offending chick.

That heat lamp is too much for your space because there is not enough space for your chicks to get away from the heat. Also if that is cardboard remove that right away or there is a chance it will catch fire and that heat lamp should be at least 20” from the ground.

 

[mama_cucco]

That heat lamp is too much for your space because there is not enough space for your chicks to get away from the heat. Also if that is cardboard remove that right away or there is a chance it will catch fire and that heat lamp should be at least 20” from the ground.

The lamp is about 24” from the ground, and there’s about 2 feet that is away from the lamp, which is around 70°. The bumper is far enough from the lamp, secured, and completely cool to the touch.

 

[sean_wonder]

That heat lamp is too much for your space because there is not enough space for your chicks to get away from the heat. Also if that is cardboard remove that right away or there is a chance it will catch fire and that heat lamp should be at least 20” from the ground.

They did say the set up is temporary, and the lamp does look adequately far away. If the chicks were too hot, the pictures that Mama Cucco linked would show the chicks in the farthest corners away from the lamp… I would agree that cardboard is a bit risky, but seeing as you said this setup is temporary due to the chicks arriving earlier than expected, I’d assume that you’re going to fix it all up. Chicks do need a cool side, but again, I don’t see any concerning chick distribution in the pictures you posted. If they were too hot, they’d all be against the far corners of your brooder more often than not — in one of the pics, they’re all nicely dispersed right under the lamp, so I think that’s OK until you get a better setup.

Sometimes a chick is overly curious or establishes itself as the boss early on. One of my cockerels had an obsession with pecking his mom & siblings eyes for a while. Another girl I have was obsessed with pecking toes. So long as your chick isn’t actually injuring the other chicks, keeping an eye on it is fine. They explore with their mouths at this stage, and learn what to do and not to do by trying things out.

 

[thecatumbrella]

So the area around their food and water is 70 degrees? I agree that the heated area should only be at the far end. The chicks should cool off when they venture out for resources.

Two suggestions for the eyeball picker.

1. Sit there and redirect her towards her food when she goes for her brooder mates (peck at it, crumble tiny pieces around the rim, etc.). They really don't know what food is and are attracted to anything unique.

2. Get a sheet of white paper and a black marker. Dot the paper in various places. Tape it to the side of the brooder in an unheated area. This gives her something to peck at besides eyeballs.

 

[sean_wonder]

To be clear, I do agree they need a cool side, but since OP said the setup is temporary I’m giving benefit of the doubt here.

@thecatumbrella neat idea with the paper, like I said normally I just watch for any injuries and let them sort themselves out over time ^^”

 

[mama_cucco]

I appreciate the input, thank you! My biggest concern is just her injuring the other chicks. She just grabs the eye and doesn’t seem to let go. I have noticed she will just stand on top of the feeder and go after a anyone who approaches, which looks like resource guarding, but there’s plenty of feed and water. I am going to try the paper and see if it makes any difference.

 

[thecatumbrella]

They seem way too young for it to be aggression. I think she's just not "getting it". Keep working with her. The eyeball stuff is very brief (maybe a day or two?), but of course you don't want injuries.