Here's the history:
I've got 24 1week old chicks: 5 RIR, 11 Barred Rock, a mystery
chicken and ( I assume) 7 Cornish Rock crosses.
I paid for the reds, barred and the mystery bird. The Crosses were packed in the box with the others at the store so they just gave them to me. I guess they ship them for extra warmth in the box. I suspect that they are also roosters.
All was well up til today when suddenly one of the Crosses decided to Cannibalize a couple of the Barred rocks. I was only out for an hour or so but the cannibal managed to draw blood on the vents of both birds as well as do some damage to one's wing.
I separated the injured birds first and watched to see what happened. The offending Cross began picking at another Barred Rock. I noticed that some of the others were getting interested in what was going on so I quickly culled the cannibal from the flock. I feel bad about it but it had to be done. I don't have the resources to house all these birds separately so now that one is in the
compost bin.
They have plenty of food,
water, the temp is ideal and they have a couple clods of sod to pick at. They are in an area about 20 Square feet until the weather improves.
So...
The injured birds are resting in a safe place with food and water. Despite the damaged vents, they are both pooping and the bleeding has stopped. Is there any hope of them recovering and being able to return to the flock? My intention was to raise most of these birds for meat, so egg laying is not a concern in this case.
I was thinking about placing a divider between the Crosses and the rest of the birds. They are a little bigger than the rest and they seem to be lurking around looking for someone to pick on.
Any help or advice would be very appreciated.
Thanks folks