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chickeroo

Mum pecking 3 week chicks

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Hi,

I have a hybrid ( Mrs Flibble) which has successfully hatch 6 Orpington chicks. They are three weeks old now and in an extended classic eglu ( bars removed and aubiose packed down).They have access to a penned of area for supervised rummaging with mum and all enjoy dust bathing and being given the odd mealworm ( great to watch them scramble all over us for the treat). They all have feathered wings and some tail development, some have feathers forming over backs and legs.I have noticed mum pecking occasionally at them, usually when they are playing up, but today I noticed her pecking at them and them letting out a squeal. Then I noticed her peck at the more feathered Buff and eat the feathers!! Is this normal? or the sign of a growing problem? I have in then past put a bumper bit on her when she habitually started pulling feathers from our last remaining hen, prior to this one other hen she had never plucked others before.

Also at what age could I transfer the chicks to my eglu cube?

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the pecking is normally a sign that 'mom' is getting fed up with the chicks another sign is that she's not sharing food with them. feather eating is sometimes a sign that the bird isn't getting enough protein but that should be a problem if she and the chicks are eating chick crumb assuming the chick crumb isn't out of date the other cause of feather pecking/eating is boredom but with your broody it could be that it's her bad habit resurfacing ideally the chicks need another 2 weeks at least with mom

as for the cube I assume you mean in with the rest of your birds in which case they need to be around 16 weeks old or laying as they won't be able to defend themselves much before then sadly once mom has lost interest in them she could be the one that makes life had for them it's not always the case I've had one broody that only had a week away from her first pullet until she went broody again the next year that's the first intro I never had a hand or a say in

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Thank you for replying

 

If mrs flibble continues the pecking and feather pulling I would assume that she will need to be parted from the babies. Or would I be able to pop a bumper bit on her without it causing issues with her hopefully staying to brood the chicks for another couple of weeks?

The eglu cube ( to which I will put the chicks into)is currently unoccupied as mrs flibble is the last of our original flock.she lost her companion a week before we decided to let her take on a clutch of eggs.

I was wondering at what age to let the chicks take on tackling the ladder to the entrance or the coop?

Thank you

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A sharp peck from a hen to a chick is going to cause injury, even with a Bumpa bit on. I'd separate them now and make arrangements for some heat at night. Electric hen will be fine. Cheap to buy and cheap to run.

 

Not sure about the steps? Orpingtons can fly well from about 6 weeks so they should be OK then. They obviously bulk up later and ours don't fly at all now. They have very small wings for such a large body.

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Thank you very much for the advice .

It's a shame, I don't think mrs flibble will go the full mummy term.

She calls them for food, protects them, then will have what appears to be quite a nasty poke.A couple of them slightly warey of her when she comes up behind them, then tend to make a hasty diversion!

Will look at getting heat for night.

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Its how chicks learn.

 

Watch any flock of birds or group of animals - dogs, cats, horses whatever the main female will put youngsters in their place by enforcing the boundaries - its what makes the youngsters better citizens as they grow up. this is why broody raised chicks are tougher, more rounded and so easier to integrate in a flock

 

Unless blood is drawn I wouldn't intervene and would try to keep the youngsters with mum for a bit longer, at this time of year they should be ok to live without heat from about 4 weeks as long as they are somewhere sheltered

 

If the hen is eating the feathers I would check the chicks for mites

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