Bad Mother... Poor Chick

[Haunted Chicken]

Sometimes, animals sense that something is wrong with one of the babies and will try and kill it and only it....maybe she would raise all the others just fine. I think I would give the little guy a friend and give the mom back her babies. But, watch closely to make sure that she doesn't go after any of the others...

Great advice. Wish I had had more than 3 chicks, this would have been a great solution. She was such a good mom to the other 2. I didn't mention that she killed the first black chick and this one was a replacement. She definitely had it in for non cream colored chicks. So weird.

 

[chasinglights27]

So... I decided to give her 3 chicks (the orange chipmunk, buff and a black one [not the injured one]) I watched her for a full 30mins and everything went really well. Until they all went to sleep, she wouldn't let the black one under her at all. Every time he tried to get under her; she would peck at him or she would get up and sit somewhere else with the other two.

What on earth is wrong with her? I know for a fact, that she is not the mother of the black chicks. I snuck my Mottled serama eggs under her, (the girl as my avatar). But she did incubate them, Maybe she knows they arent hers?

But I finally made up my mind, and removed all the chicks from her. I threw her back in the pen where all the older birds are and she decides to get broody and sits on a clutch of eggs my chocolate laced hen is laying in.

I guess she goes into Isolation again. A couple more days of crazy squawking wont kill me right???

 

[sourland]

Has she raised chicks before? If so I am willing to bet that there were no black chicks in her brood. I once had a hen who would kill every yellow chick that she hatched? Any other color was acceptable to her.

 

[chasinglights27]

Has she raised chicks before? If so I am willing to bet that there were no black chicks in her brood. I once had a hen who would kill every yellow chick that she hatched? Any other color was acceptable to her.

This is her first set of chicks. She's only 7months... she hatched out October 9th, 2011. I hope she not a bad mother, her mother (a golden brown partridge) is the best mother hen I have. Great layer and very broody with amazing maternal instinct. That's why i kept this little hen in hopes of another great hen. Maybe i was wrong, my grandma says it might be because shes too young and a first time mother. So im going to give her another shot. If she's a bad mother... You will expect to see her in the Buy~Sell~Trade forums.