So i had a broody hen that was sitting on some eggs, they hatched, she had chicks. all was well until yesterday. Yesterday she started getting a bit aggressive, biting them. But i noticed she really just bit them when they tried stealing her food when she was scratching for it. I figured that was normal because at some point she has to let them know to get their own food.
But today was bad! When they would walk in separate directions even, she would turn around, run after them, bite them then walk away. But it only got worse. She chased them so much around the yard and biting them they were hiding under the stairs terrified. Well, she laid an egg today, and i guess that snapped her out of it. (All the biting was after the egg.) She had enough of the whole mothering act and completely abandoned them. They cried their hearts out, and it broke me. They sat by the gate watching her walk off so far (quite a few yards.) and she didn’t even turn back. She just got back into the flock and wanted nothing to do with them. They just sat by the gate for hours, not making a peep, and when they saw her, they cried and cried and she just ignored them. She also turned godzilla and all shes been doing is eating, i guess all that mothering got her quite an appetite. Its like she never even raised them and im so confused, how is this weening? She just beats them up, most of it not even for a reason, then abandons them, all at the same time? Anyway. If i calculated it correctly, they should be 6 weeks old and 4 days. Do they need heat? I’ll upload pictures soon after its posted if necessary to help further identify the age if im wrong. Isbe would sleep in a a large brooder thing inside the coop with the others. She could hear them and see them but was separated. Then, theres a roost, where Isbe, Emily, and Rizo sleep. Then theres another coop where Dixie & Trixie are (same breed, but about 6 months old.) The overall goal was to make a big flock of Dixie Trixie and all the babies (5) and combine them.
So aswell as the heat question.. where do they sleep?? Do i put them in the brooder with no heat (or heat?) should i take them inside so they don’t hear their mom sense it broke their hearts? Put them with Dixie and Trixie? (As in moving the brooder in there.) Im so confused what i should do.
TL;DR: Need to know if 6 week old ( & 4 days) chickens need artificial heating sense their mom abandoned them. I also need to know where to put them. In a brooder like area or what.
Sorry it was so long, just felt like some backstory of it all was necessary. Isbe is a completely different breed, by the way. And is way larger then them even full grown.
But today was bad! When they would walk in separate directions even, she would turn around, run after them, bite them then walk away. But it only got worse. She chased them so much around the yard and biting them they were hiding under the stairs terrified. Well, she laid an egg today, and i guess that snapped her out of it. (All the biting was after the egg.) She had enough of the whole mothering act and completely abandoned them. They cried their hearts out, and it broke me. They sat by the gate watching her walk off so far (quite a few yards.) and she didn’t even turn back. She just got back into the flock and wanted nothing to do with them. They just sat by the gate for hours, not making a peep, and when they saw her, they cried and cried and she just ignored them. She also turned godzilla and all shes been doing is eating, i guess all that mothering got her quite an appetite. Its like she never even raised them and im so confused, how is this weening? She just beats them up, most of it not even for a reason, then abandons them, all at the same time? Anyway. If i calculated it correctly, they should be 6 weeks old and 4 days. Do they need heat? I’ll upload pictures soon after its posted if necessary to help further identify the age if im wrong. Isbe would sleep in a a large brooder thing inside the coop with the others. She could hear them and see them but was separated. Then, theres a roost, where Isbe, Emily, and Rizo sleep. Then theres another coop where Dixie & Trixie are (same breed, but about 6 months old.) The overall goal was to make a big flock of Dixie Trixie and all the babies (5) and combine them.
So aswell as the heat question.. where do they sleep?? Do i put them in the brooder with no heat (or heat?) should i take them inside so they don’t hear their mom sense it broke their hearts? Put them with Dixie and Trixie? (As in moving the brooder in there.) Im so confused what i should do.
TL;DR: Need to know if 6 week old ( & 4 days) chickens need artificial heating sense their mom abandoned them. I also need to know where to put them. In a brooder like area or what.
Sorry it was so long, just felt like some backstory of it all was necessary. Isbe is a completely different breed, by the way. And is way larger then them even full grown.