A bit of chick advice please :)

[MrsC]

Hi all

3 chicks hatched on Saturday just gone, 1 early Monday morning. The chick that hatched on early Monday I tried to put in with the others in the brooder on Monday night, noticed it had splayed legs and the 3 in the brooder had a go. I isolated the chick in the brooder and splinted its legs, worked a treat and then Tuesday put it in with the others. The first 3 had a go and then all hell broke, the little chick with the splinted legs is a right swine and actually drew blood on 2 of the 3 chicks and I then had to put it back in isolation. What a feisty devil he is (I say he but I don't know?) I cleaned them out tonight againn and tried to put the chick back in again, but he had a right go cornering all 3 of them, they are terrified!

Any suggestions?

[Bramble-Poultry]

i would let them carry on together for a bit as long as no actual physical harm is being caused.

the only way they will settle down is to scrap it out to decide who is top bird and who is lowest. if you keep splitting them up they have to start it all over again when you put them back again.

If they are really going at it hell for leather, then can you erect a mesh divider between the two groups, so that they get a bit of broode ramp each? that way they can see each other and spar against the mesh but not actually get to each other. that way after a week or so when you put them in together, they recognise each other and the hard work has already been done

[MrsC]

Thanks Bramble, that was the next step a mesh guard, the 4th hatched is a right one, attacks us when we put our hand in! They are currently apart via a cardboard wall, won't last long though.

[Urban Chickens]

How is it going?

[MrsC]

Hi Urban

Well you would have wondered what all the fuss was about. The 4th chick who was causing all the trouble seemed calmer yesterday and trying to get over the cardboard divide to the others so I gave it one more go before installing the wire mesh divide. You would think they had never been apart!

Here they are 1 week old, took the picture a few mins ago.