And now...chicken jail.

[thistlebloom]

I have to tell you Monty, your chicken journey has been educational! It's been an encyclopedia of "what may go wrong" with day old chicks. You'll be over the hump soon tho' .

 

[897tgigvib]

Yep, Monty's got the serious learning curve going on!

 

[vfem]

I say move the offender any time this happens. The pecking order allows meany to be on top, you take her off her high horse and let the others move up... by adding her back in several days later, they re-established without her and its a good chance she could move down in the pecking order and will have to get herself in check. But moving the injuried baby too long, she may be the one to move down in the pecking order and she could be beat worse after re-introduction.

This is just my opinion, but I've done it before. These little brats can be ruthless in the pursuit of the highest roost!!!

May I add, I hear these stories EVERYDAY.... so you are not alone. It is crazy in the chicken world, and we all experience it from the outside looking in. Then we try to control it, and they mock us and laugh at us and go about their crazy rituals.

I find the texture of vaseline to be the most off putting thing to deter pecking that I've tried without getting crazy... but the clean up it crazy yuck!

 

[MontyJ]

I have to tell you Monty, your chicken journey has been educational! It's been an encyclopedia of "what may go wrong" with day old chicks. You'll be over the hump soon tho' .

Hump? I'm beginning to think it's a mountain. Everyday when I get home from work it's someting different. I stave it off the best I can until the weekend, then spend the entire weekend building something for the brooder/coop to correct the situation, or giving chickens butt tattoos. I haven't done a single thing in the other house since I got these birds. That's not a huge issue though. It's been too cold to work over there. I still have three windows to replace and one bedroom wall to frame in. Then I can finish running the electric, water, DWV, and hang the drywall. I can still make my deadline of moving in by Thanksgiving if the weather will ever cooperate and the chickens start acting like civilized human beings

Lucky, she is getting her share. She's just a brat. I have them on 24% protien chick starter and there is plenty of room at the feeder, which is always full. I think they are just getting to crowded again. So, I will finish the coop remodel today and spread them out some more.

Thanks vfem. I thought moving the offenders was the right thing to do too. There were only two of them that were relentless at pecking the two injured chicks. One night in jail and an application of blue kote worked like a charm. So I now have two on probation, and two with butt tattoos.

You are right Bj. The blue kote stops the pecking cold.