Help! MEAN chick!

[TheBirdBabe]

I have fresh chicks that are days old (one was born 2 days earlier than the other 2). The oldest chick is MEAN! She keeps grabbing the other chick's beaks & shaking them around! Their beaks were totally normal.. but now they're damaged! Should I isolate the mean one? They're still with mama in the nest, but this little one is RUDE!

Any advice on the mean chick's behavior or treating the injured beak is appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

I have separated a bantam chick over night in a brooder with heat lamp for pecking all of the other chick’s eyes without stopping. It only required an overnight time out for this behavior to stop. The injured beak may require no care, but if you want, a dab of Betadine or chlorhexidene might be helpful. Antibiotic ointment might increase the pecking.

How are you keeping the chicks? Are they with your flock, separated inna brooder box or dog crate? Are they getting out with their broody hen to walk around and look for food and water? Can you find something to distract the chicks?

 

[TheBirdBabe]

I have separated a bantam chick over night in a brooder with heat lamp for pecking all of the other chick’s eyes without stopping. It only required an overnight time out for this behavior to stop. The injured beak may require no care, but if you want, a dab of Betadine or chlorhexidene might be helpful. Antibiotic ointment might increase the pecking.

How are you keeping the chicks? Are they with your flock, separated inna brooder box or dog crate? Are they getting out with their broody hen to walk around and look for food and water? Can you find something to distract the chicks?

As of right now, they're still with their mama hen. I thought that maybe her keeping them would get her off the nest, but she's not interested in going anywhere. I did put them some food & water in there (during the day).. but the chicks are only interested in keeping warm. It is pretty chilly right now.
I've gotten them out to run around, eat/drink, etc. but that's when the pecking happened. If they're under mama, they're all quiet & sleeping.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have all of the eggs hatched? How old are they now? Do they have food and water nearby that she is taking them to?

 

[TheBirdBabe]

Have all of the eggs hatched? How old are they now? Do they have food and water nearby that she is taking them to?

The oldest is 4-5 days old. The ones in that group have all hatched. I have put some food & water in with them (during the day) so that they (along with mama) can eat & drink in peace. My stupid rooster was jumping on top of the food container to crow & knocking it over while it was outside. lol

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Ive culled chicks like that before no need as it will only get worse

 

[Eggcessive]

If there are any eggs left under her, then they need to be removed. You can candle them, but I don’t let my broodies sit for any longer than the second day after the first has hatched. Otherwise, the chicks don’t get shown where food and water is. I like those heavier waterers, at least a gallon, for chickens, because the others are too lightweight.

 

[Katie386]

Ive culled chicks like that before no need as it will only get worse

Some people have a harder time killing baby animals then others

 

[Eggcessive]

I can’t see a reason to cull this chick from getting pecked by another chick. Broodies may pick on a weak chick if they don’t seem normal, but the OP has not mentioned anything like that.

 

[NatJ]

I can’t see a reason to cull this chick from getting pecked by another chick. Broodies may pick on a weak chick if they don’t seem normal, but the OP has not mentioned anything like that.

I thought @Poultrybonkers meant to cull the one doing the pecking, not the multiple victims.

I would probably try to get the hen off the nest and give the chicks more things to think about, to see if that helps. Isolating the rude one for a day or so might also be worth trying.

But if the one chick keeps beating up on the rest, I think the only reasonable choices would be for it to live alone, or to be culled. I think culling is kinder than long-term isolation, if a chicken really seems unable to live peacefully with others.