Hen killed her 4 1/2 week old chick!!

[buffboy]

Yesterday I started noticing one of my hens starting to peck all of her 4 1/2 week old chicks. This morning I find one pecked to death in her broody pen. Let them out and all day long she has been pecking at all of them. I assume she is done with them but is all this pecking normal when they leave them? Need help!! I have noticed not many people on here willing to do that.

 

[iwiw60]

Go to this link:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=broody+hatch

Go about half-way down the page and find the section:

THE QUITTER and the HOMICIDAL HEN
Just because a hen is broody does not mean that she is going to be a successful or dedicated hatching hen. Some abandon the eggs after a number of days or weeks, or worse- they kill the chicks that hatch. Unfortunately, the only way to know whether a hen will be a good mother is by being a good mother. There is no test or method for predicting whether a hen will quit setting before the eggs hatch or become homicidal until it happens.


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VERY good information! First thing ASAP is get the remaining chicks away from her and put them in a brooder box...let us know how it goes!

 

[buffboy]

Yeah I have heard all about hens killing chicks when they hatch. Not the situation I have. These chicks are a month old and up until yesterday she has been mom of the year!!! Why all of a sudden the aggression. This is my first hatch of chicks to take care of. So I assume constant pecking is not their usual way of leaving the chicks? Which is what I really need to know.

 

[buffboy]

I tried to check out that link but my stupid smartphone is not happy right now for some reason. I will try again later.

 

[enola]

After a certain age, the hen decides that the chicks are grown up enough to be on their own. She then runs them off. If the family is in a pen and the chicks cannot get away from her, she will continue to pick them until they are dead. Broodiness is caused by hormone changes, the hen has no control over her hormones. When the broody hormones are gone, even the best broodies become normal chickens virtually overnight. So, in a sense she no longer sees the chicks as her babies. As a general rule, adult chickens despise young chickens......

It's another rotten fact of life. You have to learn how to think like a chicken. chickens do NOT have compassion like humans do.

 

[soydo]

It can have to do with time of year- some hens will keep chicks for a much shorter time during warm season and for much longer in cooler/cold season. Example a hen weans chicks after just few weeks and starts laying again fast during summer but keeps chicks for months on end if hatched during winter.

Some hens will keep chicks even after they have started laying with no aggression at all. Others won't.

In other words not all the hens are the same and even then, the same hen can be different through the same year.

 

[buffboy]

Thank you very much Enola!! That is the answer I was searching for. They actually are out all day long and she started pecking them yesterday. They are only in the broody pen at night. So I will not allow her back in the broody pen at night. Only the chicks. Thank you for your help.

 

[buffboy]

On second thought does this look like a homocidal bipolar psycho mama hen?? She has been pecking her chicks like crazy all day and running from them now that it is getting dark she is 2014 mama of the year again!?!?!?!?! I am lost!

 

[buffboy]

Nevermind this site sucks big time!!! Wouldnt upload the picture! Sick of it peace out

 

[enola]

All you need to do is separate the hen from the chicks. They may seem lost and confused but will be fine in a day or two.