I have 3 6 day old chicks (dont know what kind they are) and one of them is an awful bully. He has pecked one of the chicks to the point that it is slightly bleeding, on his leg right under the wing area. I have taken the victim and put it in another box but am not sure how to treat the wound. The isolated chick chirps loundly the whole time that he is in the "recovery" box. I have put a rag in there to try and keep it from being so lonely...I guess what I am asking is will he be okay in the box alone. I do have food and water and heat in the box although he will not eat or drink unless he is in the brooder box with the other 2 chicks. Will he eat/drink if he gets hungry/thirsty enough? He can get around with his wound...he is just favoriting the other leg. Is there anything that I can treat him with at home?

Now to my other question. From some of the other posts that I have read I am getting the feeling that I should have something other than a regular light bulb in the brooder for heat. My brooder is made out of a 96 quart clear storage tote with the top cut out and wire mesh over it. I am using a metal reflector with a 60 watt bulb. Is this something that I should change even though I only have 3 chicks? We live in Central Texas and the weather outside (they stay in the house by a window) has been in the low 80's so I have given them plently of natural light (and heat for that matter). Thanks so much!!
Laurie

Keep an eye on the bully. He might decide to pick on somebody else next. Sometimes the best bet is to isolate the bully within the brooder -- like behind a little mesh netting or hardware cloth but where he's still around the others. There is no way to tell yet but I'm going to bet $10 that the bully is a cockrel.

If you can isolate the bully, then you might be able to return the injured one to the brooder where he/she is happier and eating better. As long as THEY don't see and pick on the spot that was bleeding, that might work out better for all concerned.

It doesn't matter what wattage light bulb you use or whether it has a reflector or whether it's white light or a red bulb (red bulbs help with picking problems if you have that issue). What matters is the temperature in the brooder. With so few chicks, it won't be as easy to rely on their behavior (crowding together or spreading apart) to decide if they're warm enough. In your case, get an inexpensive thermometer and follow the new chick temp guidelines for warmth. Also, drafts are not good so make sure that window is not a drafty area.

Susie

Picking and cannibalism become worse problems when the chicks are too hot and in bright light. The tub sounds large enough for a 60 watt bulb, but you should check the temperature (a 40 watt bulb may be enough for a 10 gallon tub). You shouldn't put your brooder in direct sun light because the chicks can get too hot and they have no way to escape the heat.

I've heard of people cooking chicks to death in 10 gallon aquariums, but they had the aquarium lids on and didn't have a wire top. A 60 watt bulb can put out quite a lot of heat.

Some people use colored light bulbs. Blue is supposed to be the best, but people use green and red ones too. You can buy them for around $4 each for 40 watt bulbs, or you can buy a 6 dollar can of barbecue spray paint or engine block heat resistant paint and spray paint your own lightbulbs. You should not paint the metal part of the bulb. They guy who taught me this trick used to paint his bulbs black. Enough light gets through the black paint for the chicks to see.

The first week the temp in the brooder should be 95 degrees. It can be lower than this away from the light. The chicks will find a comfortable distance from the light. If they rest or sleep as far from the light as they can get you have too many watts and need to use a smaller bulb.

The wound must have stopped bleeding by now. You can get antipick ointment or spray from a poultry supply place. This stuff tastes bad and if the other chicks pick at the wound they get a mouthfull. It is usually black or green to cover the blood color. I've tried it and you have to reapply it a couple of times a day until the birds get the idea that they don't want to mess with the stuff.

Neosporin ointment is good enough if you are just going to keep the chick separate.

Where in the brooder should the themometer be placed? Right now I just have the thermometer on the floor of the tote almost in the center of the light. Sometimes the reading can go high really quickly so then I have put a smaller watt bulb in there and then it doesn't seem to put off enough heat. I tried placing it on the side of the tote at the chicks head level but the temp seemed to have a very low reading so I have just left it on the floor. The temp is always somewhere in the range of 85-95. I do have a "divider" hanging from the top (between the food/water and sleeping area-where the light is), should I remove this? Will that help regulating the temp.? Does not haveing the right temp range make them act bullyish?

Laurie, Probably more new baby chicks die because of not having the right temperature than any other reason. It is as basic a need as the right food and water. Your clear storage tote is subject to temperature change more than a carboard box, especially if there is sunlight coming through a window (already a heat source) plus your light. Use the thermometer under the direct heat center from your light. Food and water should be near the best warm temperature and they will go under and away, as they are comfortable. They will never cry, if they are comfortable. And as Rokimoto stated, 95f for the first week, and drop about 5 degrees a week until you can keep both night and day temperatures steady. In several weeks, you may only have to use the light for heat at night or on a day where temperatures cool down. I would think covering the clear sides of their container would help keep temperatures more steady. They grow fast, and soon will be out enjoying that 80 daytime outdoor temp!! (It was 10f here last night and 5 inches of new snow.) Babies are in boxes in a bedroom--not in sunny windows, tho. By age, they are under 100W, 75W and 60W lights. When they go out to the poultry house, they will have 40W for a while. Height of light is determined by that thermometer!! Good luck, CJR

You do not have to put the thermometer directly under the light bulb. With only 3 chicks you only need it 95 degrees within the area covered by the reflector. You can vary the temperature by raising or lowering the reflector and you can change the wattage of your bulb. In a large container inside the house I've found that a 60 watt bulb will keep a 95 degree temperature within about 2 inches from the reflector with the reflector about 3 to 4 inches from the floor of the box. If you angle the light reflector you can make it 95 degrees region farther from the reflector. One 60 watt bulb is actually enough heat for 25 chick during the summer time, but you need two 60 watt bulbs in the winter. If you keep the chicks in your house where it is 65 to 70 degrees one 60 watt bulb is probably good enough for 15 to 20 chicks. You can keep this many chicks with one bulb because the comfort zone gets farther and farther away from the light as the chicks get bigger and older, so they can all still get warm when they need too even when they are bigger and take up more space.

If you are going to put 20 chicks with only one bulb you can't just put it in the corner of the box, you have to give the chicks room to spread out around the light, so that they can all find the spot where it is warm enough for them, but not too warm. If you have the light in the corner of the box you probably can only have less than 10 standard sized chicks.

Last year I raised some chicks, I started with six. I did not use any light/heat source (of course no one would recommend this). I kept them close to our hearter, but far enough so they would not get to hot. Then a few weeks later I bought 12 more and kept those 12 together. There was enough body heat in there that I felt no need to use a light. I never lost one. I put them out when the tempature was in the 60's and they had feathers.

This year I bought some baby ducks and I put them in a ten gallon aquarium and used aquirum light bulbs to keep them warm. So I agree with someone above whent they tell you to get colored light bulbs and use a lower waltage. Chicks do not enjoy brightness from a bulb. As far as heat lamps, I would not use those. Even at the farm store where I got mine from they had heat lamps and most of the time those poor things were so hot and trying to get away from the heat that they would peck at each other.

Another thing you could do is get one of those anti peck devices for the little bully. I also have heard of them do something to trim the beak so that they can not peck at each other. There is some kind of machine that does that.

Well, I wish you the best of luck.....