broody hens fighting over chicks

[lawatt]

i have three broody girls with chicks right now, a fourth hatching today, and a fifth hatching in a week -- and at least one of the broodies (the first, a basque hen, her two chicks are nearly 3 weeks old) is super-aggressive with the others' chicks, attacking them & their moms. I am fairly certain that she is the culprit that killed one and injured two other chicks already, although she is a GREAT mom to her own chicks -- she just seems to want to be the ONLY mom.

is there anything that can be done, besides isolating her and her chicks? (currently she and her chicks are hanging out with the main flock, broodies #2 and #3 and in exclosure pens within the coop's run, so everyone can see each other but they & their chicks are protected, and broodies #4 and #5 are still in nestboxes inside the henhouse.) what if the others are equally aggressive toward each other's chicks?

thanks in advance for any suggestions anyone might have!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sometimes multiple broodies work together to raise the chicks, sometimes they imprint on their own and leave the others alone, but sometime you have problems. Sometimes one may kill the chicks of the other hens. Sometimes they want to raise them all. There’s really no way to tell what will happen when you have multiple broodies. Sometimes it’s amazing how they work together. Sometimes it’s a disaster.

The only two possible things I can come up with that you could try. One is to isolate them. Make sure the chicks cannot get through the fence and away from Mama’s protection.

The other is more risky. If one really does want to raise them all, give her all the chicks and break the others from being broody. The risky part is knowing that she really does want to raise them all.

 

[lawatt]

thanks for your thoughts -- for clarification, Eleanor (broody #1) and her chicks are fully integrated with the main flock, free-ranging outside the coop on days when i'm home (and i've been sick the last few days, so they've been out & about a lot). Speedy (broody #2) has spent her entire broody period inside a wire exclosure that's inside the run of the coop, since she was barging into others' nests -- she's been in there with her chicks (now just one left) since they hatched a week ago, in full view of the whole flock (including Eleanor) but separate -- her chicks got into trouble when they wiggled through the wire, and she didn't seem to be doing a very good job of keeping them close to her.

similarly Frances (broody #3) and her chicks have been in an exclosure inside the main run since wednesday or so, when i moved her from one of the nesting boxes. after the experience with Speedy's chicks getting hurt, i did a better job of keeping her chicks inside the exclosure with her, and i think she does a better job of calling them to her as well. Eleanor hasn't shown any of the same aggression through the wire toward Frances that she has toward Speedy (she and Speedy are constantly flaring the neck feathers at each other & trying to peck through the wire) -- and Frances historically has been higher on the pecking order than either of the other two. Eleanor often settles with her chicks just next to the side of Frances' enclosure, and neither seems upset by the other's presence -- but when i tried to let Frances & her chicks out this morning, Eleanor ran right at one of the chicks & i'm sure would have hurt it if i hadn't intervened. (both Speedy & Frances are back in their exclosures for now.)

none of the rest of the flock seems to pay the babies any mind at all.

i've been trying to integrate everyone like i would a new bird, a week or so being kept separate but visible -- but I may have to separate Eleanor and her chicks, and just hope that the others all behave better toward each other, as i don't have space to have four separate broody-and-chick enclosures inside the run.

 

[lawatt]

and a small update: at least one of the other broodies now also attacks others' chicks. i might just have to take all the chicks away from them (except for the three week olds, perhaps) and raise them indoors -- except this is exactly what i was trying to avoid by having broodies do the hatching! *sigh*

 

[windzbreezy]

Which breeds make the best moms?