Are my mama hens fighting or establishing the pecking order again?

[ShadyHillFarm]

I have two broody hens that hatched chicks on the same day this week. I was hoping to let them coexist together, but today when I went to feed them they attacked each other pretty violently. I actually had to separate them as the chicks were scurrying everywhere. One chicken (a white rock) has always been more aggressive and the more broody of the bunch. I'm thinking of leaving her with the flock as she only has one chick and taking the maran mix and her 3 chicks and putting her in a fenced off portion of the run. Or should I just leave them to figure it out?? I swear, I was hoping this was going to be easier than just raising them myself, but it's still been pretty stressful!!

 

[azygous]

I doubt the pecking order has anything to do with their conflict with each other and everything to do with broody hormones which makes a broody crabby with a hair trigger temper.

My sweetest, most docile hens, when broody, are transformed into Godszilla.

 

[evemfoster]

Chickens cant count. They are fighting over the chicks. Both of your mama hens think all of the babies are theirs and they think the other hen is trying to steal their children. That is why you can give a hen extra chicks. After the mama hen decides which chicks are theirs they will pick the chicks they have decided isn't theirs. At that time the hens will get along better.

 

[ShadyHillFarm]

Thanks for the replies! I went back out last night to shut everyone up and the one hen w/ one chick didn't have her chick anymore. I couldn't find it anywhere, so I assume it's a flock casualty since they were (unfortunately) in the coop/run all day. So I just went ahead and placed the other hen/chicks in a separate part of the run from the rest of the flock.