The weather has been really nice the last few days (overall it's been a pretty cold, dreary spring), and so we've been putting the chicks outside during the day. Yesterday was actually pretty warm, and I don't know if that's what pushed the chicks over the edge, but suddenly we had a serious issue with pecking. I knew chicks sometimes pecked each other (even to death), but didn't realize how quickly it could come about.
The girls had been playing with the chicks most of the day, taking them out of the coop one at a time and playing with her for a while, and then trading for another chick. So they would have noticed if anything was seriously amiss. Late in the afternoon I was walking toward the coop and saw this flurry of activity. The chicks were all flying up in the air and making all sorts of noise. When I got close I realized they were all pecking each other. When I got really close, I realized that one of them was completely lacking tail feathers and was raw and bloody. Then I realized there were three of them like that, and they were even pecking each other. It was gross.
So I separated them, and spent the next 24 hours in crisis mode, trying to figure out how to stop the pecking, keep the injured chicks separate, and get bigger quarters for them (since it was most likely caused by overcrowding).
In the end, we ended up with this bigger coop in the back yard, and I take them inside each evening (because we've had a coyote nearby) and outside each morning. It's a pain, but they are much much happier, and I've even been able to put the three birds back in with the rest.
So all is well now.
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