Hi all -
My broody mama hatched out her eggs five weeks ago today. After around 20 days post hatch she started to come out of her broodiness and after she restarted egg laying for a couple of days she got nasty with her chicks so I had to kick her out of the nursery and add her back to the flock.
While she was sitting on her eggs and after the chicks were hatched she was separated from the other hens but only with wire mesh between them both inside the coop and the little area I made outside too. I noticed one day my snarky silver lace wyandotte trying to fight with Mama through the barrier I'd set up outside which I thought was odd but didn't think too much of it as this particular silver laced is a brat.
But I found out quickly, right when I let Mama out from her penned area with the babies both of my silver laced ladies (Laverne and Shirley)) went after Mama HARD. Shirley has always been a jerk, when she was a tiny chick she would peck at ME when I put my hands in their pen. When my rooster mounts any hen she runs over and starts pecking at the other hens head. But after I let Mama out of her nursery area it was a whole other level of bully by Shirley. At this point Laverne is acting like a brat but not on the same level as Shirl.
Now Mama hen stays in the area where her chicks are but she still gets beat up if she tries to leave that area....they are free range and my silvers won't let her anywhere near them, food, the compost pile, garden, inside the coop, etc.
After 8 days I took shirley and quarantined her so we're on day 2 of that. Now Laverne is chasing Mama down and acting just like Shirley was.
When my mama hen first went broody I did notice my rooster was mad at her and would chase/peck at her but not the silver laced, they all used to be fine together and Susan (mama hen) was at the top of the pecking order. I'm super stumped by all this.
Ideas? I'm about to send Laverne and Shirley packing.
My broody mama hatched out her eggs five weeks ago today. After around 20 days post hatch she started to come out of her broodiness and after she restarted egg laying for a couple of days she got nasty with her chicks so I had to kick her out of the nursery and add her back to the flock.
While she was sitting on her eggs and after the chicks were hatched she was separated from the other hens but only with wire mesh between them both inside the coop and the little area I made outside too. I noticed one day my snarky silver lace wyandotte trying to fight with Mama through the barrier I'd set up outside which I thought was odd but didn't think too much of it as this particular silver laced is a brat.
But I found out quickly, right when I let Mama out from her penned area with the babies both of my silver laced ladies (Laverne and Shirley)) went after Mama HARD. Shirley has always been a jerk, when she was a tiny chick she would peck at ME when I put my hands in their pen. When my rooster mounts any hen she runs over and starts pecking at the other hens head. But after I let Mama out of her nursery area it was a whole other level of bully by Shirley. At this point Laverne is acting like a brat but not on the same level as Shirl.
Now Mama hen stays in the area where her chicks are but she still gets beat up if she tries to leave that area....they are free range and my silvers won't let her anywhere near them, food, the compost pile, garden, inside the coop, etc.
After 8 days I took shirley and quarantined her so we're on day 2 of that. Now Laverne is chasing Mama down and acting just like Shirley was.
When my mama hen first went broody I did notice my rooster was mad at her and would chase/peck at her but not the silver laced, they all used to be fine together and Susan (mama hen) was at the top of the pecking order. I'm super stumped by all this.
Ideas? I'm about to send Laverne and Shirley packing.
gosh it’s so stressful, and I know they need to do a little tussling, but knowing when to step in is tough.
