Mom, We're Bored...

   The first few days with our new feathered friends was pretty exciting, we have chickens..how cool is that?! However, we started to notice that some of the chickens were pecking each other. My immediate reaction was to say "hey, knock it off" but I mean common they do not know what I am saying. We needed a better understanding of what was going on and how to correct it. We did not want any of the chicks to become injured or for them all to pick up this bad habit.
 We learned a few tips and tricks after doing some online research that we tested out and actually worked great! It was reassuring knowing that others have had the same problem before. Thank goodness for the Internet! hah!
 The chickens first home was down in Cory's work shop and although they have the red light bulb on them for warmth we left a few regular shop lights on overhead so they could see and for better lighting for the wireless camera. We read that too much light on them is not a good thing, it makes them cranky. Especially if they are too hot on top of that. So we raised the heat lamp away from the brooder a little and shut off one of the overhead white lights. This seemed to help calm them down. I would suggest watching the chicks behavior for the first few days. See if they are all huddled together or if they are trying to stay far away from the heat lamp. This will tell you if you need to make adjustments to your set up.

The other interesting thing we figured out was that they were bored! They did not have any activities to add stimulation other than looking at four walls of a box. We needed to get a little creative.  We put a Mason Jar in the brooder on its side which they all loved, especially Dumpling. Remember I said I had a funny story about her. Well she LOVED the Mason Jar. She was always making a "tinking" nosie on the jar, very comical. Cory also made a small perch that they could sit on which was great because they could begin to practice roosting. When making a perch it is best to use a real stick or branch from outside because it is easier for the chickens to grip with their feet. Just make sure you have one that is large enough around so they have enough surface area to hold on to.
 Lastly, we read that increasing their protein source would help eliminate the pecking so we added extra protein to their food three times a week.
  With all of these things combined, the pecking eventually stopped! Success!!