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Hen being aggressive to new mom and her babies!!

post #1 of 6
4/27/12 at 8:57am
Thread Starter 

I have 4 silkies in a pen: 3 hens & 1 roo. Two hens went broody, and one of the new mommas is out with her babies this morning; however, the remaining hen is pecking at the new momma and her babies. On top of that, the new momma isn't protecting herself or babies. Also, the other new mom, who is still waiting on an egg to hatch, was out a little the other day, and the remaining hen pecked at her then too. So this remaining girl is all of a sudden being mean to the two hens - do you think it's pecking order? Maybe where they've been missing in action?

 

Do I need to remove her for awhile? Or will that just cause problems when I put her back in? Or maybe she'll settle down? hmm.png

Love my Silkies!

Micah, Mia, Chloe, Cali, & Fancy

 

Carolina Blue Silkies

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Love my Silkies!

Micah, Mia, Chloe, Cali, & Fancy

 

Carolina Blue Silkies

Reply

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post #2 of 6
4/27/12 at 9:03am

I personally would separate for now and try again when the chicks are older so everyone can establish a pecking order without someone getting killed

 Crested Ducks                     Common Chicken Practices          Learn more about Avian Influenza

 

 

Helen: Daria, do you have to look at everything in such a negative light?

Daria: Could you possibly be referring to the harsh light of reality?

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 Crested Ducks                     Common Chicken Practices          Learn more about Avian Influenza

 

 

Helen: Daria, do you have to look at everything in such a negative light?

Daria: Could you possibly be referring to the harsh light of reality?

Reply
post #3 of 6
4/27/12 at 9:10am

I agree. I've had my chickens kill a new chick once. It was terrible. Rather separate them, they'll sort themselves out later when the chicks are older.

 

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked ~ Bernard Meltzer

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A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked ~ Bernard Meltzer

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post #4 of 6
4/27/12 at 9:11am
I've had it both ways, one was super protective, and the other didn't protect at all.. I kept the latter away from the flock until the chicks were old enough to get away/not die from one peck (5 weeks).

LES Farms

Breeder of nothing right now.Read our RE-Build of LES Farms Thread.

 

Lost everything in a barn fire 2/11/13. Can't even pull it together.

Thank you for all the condolences and all the support and donations given to help us rebuild. You are all so special to us.

 

Please READ my thread about FIRE SAFETY. Trying to save as many others from the little mistakes that cost me everything.

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LES Farms

Breeder of nothing right now.Read our RE-Build of LES Farms Thread.

 

Lost everything in a barn fire 2/11/13. Can't even pull it together.

Thank you for all the condolences and all the support and donations given to help us rebuild. You are all so special to us.

 

Please READ my thread about FIRE SAFETY. Trying to save as many others from the little mistakes that cost me everything.

Reply
post #5 of 6
4/27/12 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 

I separated the hen that was being mean. Think she'll be okay being alone for a few weeks, or do I need to make room for the roo to join her? The roo is a gentle boy, so he's fine with the chicks, and the silkie pen is already perfect for raising babies, so that's why I removed the aggressive hen verses mom and babies.

Love my Silkies!

Micah, Mia, Chloe, Cali, & Fancy

 

Carolina Blue Silkies

Reply

Love my Silkies!

Micah, Mia, Chloe, Cali, & Fancy

 

Carolina Blue Silkies

Reply
post #6 of 6
5/1/12 at 2:27pm
Thread Starter 

I've got a huge mess now as another silkie hen has babies now too, and now the mom that was taking the punches is the one handing them out. I never had these troubles with my free ranges, so this is new to me and annoying. I've decided to take away all the babies and raise them myself, and put the first hen back in the pen, so things can go back to "normal."

Love my Silkies!

Micah, Mia, Chloe, Cali, & Fancy

 

Carolina Blue Silkies

Reply

Love my Silkies!

Micah, Mia, Chloe, Cali, & Fancy

 

Carolina Blue Silkies

Reply
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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying › Hen being aggressive to new mom and her babies!!