Buff Orpington Pullet killed

[Clothilde]

I hatched out two Buff Orpington pullets on August 3. They were hatched out by a broody French copper Marans who was a very protective mother and had them out in the main flock when they were 1 day old. The other hens were paying no attention to them.

The weather turned cold and stormy so we brought them in the house until they were 8 weeks old. Then we put them in the chicken yard in a section fenced off from the other 10 hens. After the older hens kept somehow getting into the little chicks' space and everything was calm, we decided to let them be with the "big girls".

At first the two little ones hung out together and did not mix with the flock. They had their own shelter and did not try to go into the coop. Then yesterday, one of the chicks seemed very bedraggled and was cowering all day in her shelter snuggled up next to her sister. I coaxed her out only to see that her feathers had been pecked out around her neck. There was no blood.

I had to leave but I planned to take her in the house later, treat her wound and separate her from the flock until she healed and got bigger. By the time I returned within 1 hour, she had been pecked to death! It was horrible.

We have never had this happen before when we introduced house reared chicks -Barred Rocks, Copper Marans- the same way -even in the presence of Marans roosters. What happened? What should I have done? Any advice for me to heed in the future to avoid this heartbreak? Are the Buff Orpingtons too docile to mix with the other breeds I have?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome, and I'm so sorry for your loss.
In hindsight, leaving them out with their mama may have been a safer option, regardless of weather. Good broodies (was this her first?) will keep their chicks happy and warm in freezing weather, with any shelter at all.
Your chick may have just been unlucky, and got in a corner, or something, to be pecked on like that. Chickens can behave like the little velociraptors they are, and it can be awful. This chick may also had some problem that made her weaker in some way, so vulnerable to attack.
Having hiding spaces, not blind corners, but 'out of sight' areas, helps. And multiple feeders and waterers, and space.
Mary