Mean Mother Hen

[CindyJean]

I had two broody hens sitting side-by-side on 24 eggs. The eggs started hatching yesterday evening and when I got back from the feed store with chick food, one of the chicks had been pecked to death. I noticed that one of the hens was pecking the babies so I removed her back to the flock. The hen left on the nest moved the 9 hatched babies away from the unhatched eggs. The next morning I set up another nesting site for the "mean hen" and set the abandoned eggs under her. A baby was starting to hatch out and when I returned from dinner, the hatching egg, baby and all was gone. I figured the mean hen was still doing her bad thing and I took the rest of the eggs and put them back with the good momma hen. Good Momma is now sitting on a big pile of eggs mixed in with new day old chicks. My questions are: what happened here? Should I let "Good Momma" keep sitting on that big pile of eggs? Will the day old chicks get injured in the pile-up? What should I do with the mean hen - was she just having a bad day or do I have a bad momma?
These are Duckwing Bantams.
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Wes in Tx]

If the other eggs are due to hatch anyday now then leave chicks and all with the good hen. If they aren't due to hatch anyday now then I would take the chicks and put them in a brooder.

As for as the other hen goes you have a bad hen there and I wouldn't let her ever hatch any birds out.

 

[CindyJean]

Thanks! I hate having a bad hen. Wonder what Freud would say.
The good Momma is a delight. She is letting me hang out with her new family and scratch her under the chin while the babies climb on my hand. This is very unusual, but she seems perfectly healthy.

Now on to the coop design page to start another Bantam condo.
It's great to have a forum.

 

[CashmereSussex]

thay may have something wrong with them, like dogs sit on the pups that have something wrong maybe chickens do the same, is it her first clutch? she may not no what they are

 

[CindyJean]

You might be right about that!