kittyl Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 OMG! I cant believe it, not 6 weeks old yet & 3 of the chicks are fighting this morning, 2 of them seriously They always have a little spar & face up to eachother in the morning, I presumed this was normal growing up stuff. However, this morning Smidge, Pixi & sugar were really fighting properly, mouths full of fluff & feathers, pinning down, wrestling etc. I tried calming them down individually, separating each for while, letting them get on with it - hoping they'd give up, even splashing water at them. It was mainly Smidge & Pixi, Sugar is much smaller & kept running away. After 1/2 hour I gave up & seperated Smidge into the old chick run, still in with the others but unable to get at them. Pixi is battered & bruised with bald patches & red welts around his eyes (think there's no doubt about the "he" bit now) I really dont see how I can allow them back together. They're Pekins, I thought they were docile, this is awful, Smidge & Pixi are our favourites, they're the 2 friendliest with us, I spend ages cuddling them they like to snuggle down & sleep on my hand As I've written this I know Smidge will have to go & I'm devastated. A couple of you suggested my pekins could be crossbreeds, is there a bantam breed that would be this aggressive so young? How do I deal with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller30 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hi kittyl i have 2 girls and 2 boys they are nearly 6 weeks the 2 boys were doing exactly what you have described so i got fed up with it and took their pen down so now they just freerange with everyone else and it seems to have taken their mind off of fighting with each other most of my girls are laid back so are not bothered by the chicks and they have plenty of room im not sure if you could do this as i dont know your set up but you may need to seperate the boys leanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyl Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 It did cross my mind to do that, my 3 big hens free range the garden all the time. My big girls are very big though (orpington, fat bluebell & warren) & I'm already having problems trying to reintroduce my Pekin mum back with them, as they keep standing on her, I dread to think what they might do to the chicks. The other issue is that in a few weeks we're on hols & the chickens are all booked into a sitters, I was expecting the chicks to be in a run together, which will be smaller than they are used to so any fighting just get worse. Smidge has been separated for 2 hours now, I shall put him back now & see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyl Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 I let Smidge back out & sat watching for a while. He is still throwing his weight around, but the others are running away screaming. Bibble (mum) tries to intervene sometimes but gets confused & keeps pecking tiny Spice who's desperately trying to hide under her at the same time. Poor battered Pixi is staying the other end of the run on his own. At this age could this be a passing phase? ( ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatsCube Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 It may well be a space issue, chicks much like adult chickens are more likely to pick on each other if they are in a small space. Can you net off an area of the garden just for them away from the adult chickens? Its probably just been brought on by bordom. a bit of a scratch around outside should take their minds off each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyl Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 Thanks but I already do that, they have a grassy bit they can go into when I'm about. They also have a 12x6 wir to themselves with lots of nooks & crannies to explore. Smidge actively seeks Pixi out & attacks him. Pixi is now staying in the run on his own hiding under a sloping plank. I think he's rather sore, & scared to come out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyl Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 With your advice in mind Catscube, I've adjusted the fence so the chicks can now get to a couple of ft of rough ground full of weeds & mud, this seems to have distracted them enough to bring peace for now. Dont know how long it'll last! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
