newborn chicks.. pecking

[sheribee]

hi all x ok so some of my chicks have started hatching from our incubator, one hatched weds morn and another today, the older one just wanted to peck constantly at the new one, of course the new one is very wobbly and sleepy so cant defend itself, is this normal?
Do i just leave them to it? i have placed the new baby in a small box still in the brooder but so the older chick cant get to it.
I have hatched chicks b4 with their mum, but not from an incubator. They were all placed in at the same time, think its a bit strange they r hatching all at different times, others r cracking but many arent, possibly they r not fertile, will have to wait and see x Thanks in advance for any info or advice u have for me xx

[Kleiber]

Hi, sheribee - sounds like you've been pretty successful with the incubator! What I do, when I hatch chicks in this way, is to take the newly hatched ones, once they've dried off, out of the incubator and pop them under a heat lamp in a brooder box, so any late-comers can hatch out in peace. You don't say what type of incubator you have, so it may be that's why they're all in together. If you can get a heat lamp and a brooder box then that should solve the problem. Have the lamp about a foot to 18 inches above the chicks. If they all congregate under it all the time, they're too cold, but if they try & get away from it, they're too hot & you need to raise the lamp a bit (it's all common sense, really). Chicks don't normally peck at each other (are you sure you haven't got a baby owl in there by mistake? lol !) and I've never had any come to any harm from leaving them in with their siblings. Sorry can't offer any more constructive advice, but I hope this helps. K x

[sheribee]

Hi, i have a fan incubator, and i have a seperate brooder box with the heat lamp on them too.
The chicks are different breeds, the first born is a silkie and the second born is a light sussex, so i dont know if that makes a difference.
I have been introducing them to each other for a couple of mins every hour or so but the silkie just pecks the younger chick.
Dont kno about being successful, have only hatch 2 so far out of 28!! xx

[Kleiber]

Sorry I haven't been back for a while. Try maybe putting a piece of stiff cardboard in the brooder to seperate them, but so's they can still both get under the lamp.
Have any more hatched?