sophiehatter1057
In the Brooder
- Apr 17, 2025
- 15
- 7
- 11
Hello feather-loving friends,
I have a flock of 12 baby chicks (6 EEs and 6 Australorps) bought from a local feed store, who got them shipped from Ideal as 1 day old chicks. One of my EEs cannot stop picking at all the others' down/feathers. She's not particular about who she'll nibble on--including the seemingly dominant chick. Sometimes it's even herself that she's pecking at. The other EEs don't even really notice it. The Australorps give her a piece of their minds when it happens and she backs off of them for a while.
The brooder is warm and huge with lots of space to get away/cool off, clean water, clean food, clean bedding. I've introduced LOTS of toys, textures, etc. I've been trying the technique of "pecking" her with my finger every time she does it, for the past 3 days now, to no avail.
I'm pretty sure, early on, she's one of the EEs we treated for pasty butt (we put her in a jar of warm water until she had a bowel movement, towel dried her, etc)
Is she likely deficient in protein? Or is this kind of grooming within the normal bounds? Do I try to feed her eggs? Do I use "pick no more" on everyone? Given that the correctional strategy (gentle poking) I tried isn't working, if this behaviour *does* need correcting, where do I go from here?
I have a flock of 12 baby chicks (6 EEs and 6 Australorps) bought from a local feed store, who got them shipped from Ideal as 1 day old chicks. One of my EEs cannot stop picking at all the others' down/feathers. She's not particular about who she'll nibble on--including the seemingly dominant chick. Sometimes it's even herself that she's pecking at. The other EEs don't even really notice it. The Australorps give her a piece of their minds when it happens and she backs off of them for a while.
The brooder is warm and huge with lots of space to get away/cool off, clean water, clean food, clean bedding. I've introduced LOTS of toys, textures, etc. I've been trying the technique of "pecking" her with my finger every time she does it, for the past 3 days now, to no avail.
I'm pretty sure, early on, she's one of the EEs we treated for pasty butt (we put her in a jar of warm water until she had a bowel movement, towel dried her, etc)
Is she likely deficient in protein? Or is this kind of grooming within the normal bounds? Do I try to feed her eggs? Do I use "pick no more" on everyone? Given that the correctional strategy (gentle poking) I tried isn't working, if this behaviour *does* need correcting, where do I go from here?
