BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

Okay, I've got a question for all of you who are experience with Mama Hens....My current Dolly Mama has been doing an excellent job of raising her three chicks for the past three weeks, but suddenly this morning I found her pecking pretty relentlessly at them. The chicks were all squealing and running away from her, but she wouldn't stop pecking them. In spite of leaving food in their pen, all three chicks had flattened crops, but once I changed out their feed for fresh, she called them to come eat, which they did for less than two minutes and then she was picking at them again. I pulled her out...and have the scars to prove how resistant she was to leave them...and both she and the chicks threw a fit and tried to reunite, so I put her back in.

What's going on???? I've never seen this type of behavior with my other broody and I have no idea how to handle it.

 

[ronott1]

Okay, I've got a question for all of you who are experience with Mama Hens....My current Dolly Mama has been doing an excellent job of raising her three chicks for the past three weeks, but suddenly this morning I found her pecking pretty relentlessly at them. The chicks were all squealing and running away from her, but she wouldn't stop pecking them. In spite of leaving food in their pen, all three chicks had flattened crops, but once I changed out their feed for fresh, she called them to come eat, which they did for less than two minutes and then she was picking at them again. I pulled her out...and have the scars to prove how resistant she was to leave them...and both she and the chicks threw a fit and tried to reunite, so I put her back in.

What's going on???? I've never seen this type of behavior with my other broody and I have no idea how to handle it.

It sounds like she is ready to stop caring for them. That usually happens at about 6 weeks old so a bit early. It may have something to do with the hot weather.

If she is drawing blood, you will need to separate them. They will likely not need any heat though. Broody raised chicks and your hot climate play a big factor in the "cold" hardiness of chicks.

 

[Beekissed]

Okay, I've got a question for all of you who are experience with Mama Hens....My current Dolly Mama has been doing an excellent job of raising her three chicks for the past three weeks, but suddenly this morning I found her pecking pretty relentlessly at them. The chicks were all squealing and running away from her, but she wouldn't stop pecking them. In spite of leaving food in their pen, all three chicks had flattened crops, but once I changed out their feed for fresh, she called them to come eat, which they did for less than two minutes and then she was picking at them again. I pulled her out...and have the scars to prove how resistant she was to leave them...and both she and the chicks threw a fit and tried to reunite, so I put her back in.

What's going on???? I've never seen this type of behavior with my other broody and I have no idea how to handle it.

Never seen that before, but then my birds aren't in pens, so don't know how they'd act if they were penned with chicks for 3 wks. That's much too early for her to want to "wean" them....that usually occurs around 8 wks or thereafter. Can you integrate them with the larger flock and see what happens? Not sure how big your pen is, but maybe she just needs more space? Or maybe they need something to do....could you throw BOSS or something they could "hunt" on the ground for them?

 

[varidgerunner]

Okay, I've got a question for all of you who are experience with Mama Hens....My current Dolly Mama has been doing an excellent job of raising her three chicks for the past three weeks, but suddenly this morning I found her pecking pretty relentlessly at them. The chicks were all squealing and running away from her, but she wouldn't stop pecking them. In spite of leaving food in their pen, all three chicks had flattened crops, but once I changed out their feed for fresh, she called them to come eat, which they did for less than two minutes and then she was picking at them again. I pulled her out...and have the scars to prove how resistant she was to leave them...and both she and the chicks threw a fit and tried to reunite, so I put her back in.

What's going on???? I've never seen this type of behavior with my other broody and I have no idea how to handle it.

Ok, my hens have different brood times depending on weather. I raise some in pens, and most free range in nests of their choosing. I'm going to consider my birds the representation of the wild brooding instinct, as they all go broody and are all broody raised for many many generations. Others are mixed with birds that have been bred to not go broody, and the feather footed things are somewhat ,as a large factor of determining when to go broody or when not to is feet temperature. I think they go broody because their feet are warm, not because they have particularly strong natural instincts.

Mine will keep their chicks for six or eight weeks only in cool weather. In hot weather they may start weaning their chicks away from them at three weeks, usually four, sometimes as late as five. It is a gradual thing, they will brood them at night, they will call them to food and let them eat a little, but they don't want them hanging around in the daytime. Go away kid you are bothering me. The hen wants to mate and start a nest, they don't need a bunch of chicks hanging around, potentially getting killed by adult males, drawing unwanted attention to the nest site and so on. By the time she hatches the next brood, they better pretend not to know her when they run into her on the street. What you are seeing I would consider perfectly normal. It is sometimes intensified when kept in a pen, the hen wants to go hang with a rooster right now. Your broody raised chicks are much more weather tolerant as they have a nice coating of chicken oil from their mom.

 

[DesertChic]

Thank you for all of the input!

She may not be fully ready to leave them yet as she completely freaked out when I separated her from her chicks, but I think I'm going to move them to a larger pen with a sizable outdoor run in the next few days. I'll just have to play a night game of "musical chicken" with a whole bunch of birds to allow for the housing change, but if it keeps her from killing the chicks it'll be worth it. It will also allow me to release her back into adult population when she wants, and then let her back in with her babies when she's ready. Until then I'll try to keep them entertained.

 

[oshun55555]

ALL broodies are some kind of nut case!!! Oh, boy....I am FAR, far from being an expert on anything, let alone on broodies, but I can tell you that all broodies are different.....but only the very best ones stick the nest that well.

Their whole metabolism changes when they hit broody mode so they need less nourishment and water....WAY less. I'm often amazed at how many days they will go without food or drink but they don't seem none the worse for wear from it all. I always get a chuckle when folks "force" their broody off the nest to eat and drink every day. I don't think they realize that bird is working purely on instinct and her body will signal when she needs to replenish....no need for humans to interfere at all.

I've had broodies that get off the nest every little whip stitch to eat, drink, stretch the legs and commune with the flock....those never seem to have a good hatch rate. The very best broodies stick that nest like glue and when they do get off, it's never more than 20 min.~ if that~ and only during the middle of their brood~not the first three or four days and not the last 3-4. "They" now say that those 20 min. intervals off the nest every now and again make for a better hatch rate and some commercial hatcheries now set their incubators for turning off for 20 min. each day to get a better hatch rate.

I wish you well on your broody hatch, Jason....should be fun to watch. Never gets old to me to see how chickens do it vs. how us humans think it should be done.

What Bee said, chickens know what they are supposed to do better than we.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Thank you for all of the input!

She may not be fully ready to leave them yet as she completely freaked out when I separated her from her chicks, but I think I'm going to move them to a larger pen with a sizable outdoor run in the next few days. I'll just have to play a night game of "musical chicken" with a whole bunch of birds to allow for the housing change, but if it keeps her from killing the chicks it'll be worth it. It will also allow me to release her back into adult population when she wants, and then let her back in with her babies when she's ready. Until then I'll try to keep them entertained.

Can you build a creep, so that the chicks can get away from her but she can't follow?

 

[DesertChic]

Can you build a creep, so that the chicks can get away from her but she can't follow?

I'm not sure what that is. The chicks do occasionally hide inside of block that I put in their for their water bottle to sit on. She becomes very aggravated when they hide from her and throws a tantrum until they come back out. It's actually kinda funny to witness.

Today I gave them "entertainment" and it seemed to help considerably. I tied up some kale and hung it just above the floor for them to tear at, scattered meal worms in the bedding, gave them a small dust bathing box, and released some live crickets in their pen for them to chase. Not only did the Dolly Mama never peck at her chicks, but they all seemed thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day. This coming Sunday I should be able to move them to their new pen with an outdoor run and I suspect they'll be much happier as a result.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

It's hard to describe without a picture, but think of a fence with a gap underneath with just enough space for the chicks to get under but not a big enoujgh gap for the hen to fit. The way I would do this, and there are probably better ways, is to build a cage with four walls, maybe three by three feet, with a gap all around the bottom. There are probably better ways to do this but that's how I'd do it. But if the hen has backed off, that's great!
I have a cabbage in the coop at all times for my chickens, just in case they get bored and into mischief before I open the coop doors.

 

[lpatelski]

Can you build a creep, so that the chicks can get away from her but she can't follow?

I use a medium sized dog crate. I hung the door on sideways with removable zipties so there is a 4" slot at the bottom. My chick feeder is in there and they zip under the door. The big fat hens and Rooster cannot get in to the feed. You can do the same thing with a cardboard box. I wrap the top of the cardboard with plastic feed bags otherwise it's just not durable- the hens get on top of the box and poop!