Broody killed her chick

[theuglyduckling]

Do any other chickens have access to her and her nest? If so, check for injuries. That blood on her beak may not be the chick's, it might be from defending her babies from another bird ... or a small predator.

she was in a dog house that was blocked off from the rest of the flock so i know it wasnt them. the chicks that have made it are doing good though.

Just blame it on the rooster! It seems everyone else does!

lol no i know it wasnt him and my rooster is a nice rooster

I had a broody hen sitting on 6 eggs. She did a great job sitting on them. The first one hatch while I was at work. It was dry when I got home. Every time it tried to peak out from under the hen, she would peck it. I thought she was keeping under her and didn't want to interfere any more than necessary. When checked on them again, the chick was under the hen, but all the way in the back of the nest. Still alive at that point, but she never opened her eyes again.

When I went back out to check on the eggs, another one had hatched. The hen would stand up, look at the chick, peck it, and then sit back down. I went inside and put together the brooder and heat plate. When I came back out, the chick was in the same place the first chick was. I took the chick inside and put it in the brooder. After that, I just kept checking on the eggs and pulled the chicks out as soon as they broke free of the egg. She was ready to re-join the flock the next morning like nothing had happened. I now have 5 5-week old chicks in my spare room.

aww at least five of them made it! only three of mine made it past the broody. i really dont think she killed them on purpose i think it was only an accident being a first time mom. i do feel bad for her though because she seems to look like she wants to brood some chicks.

 

[featherhead007]

she was in a dog house that was blocked off from the rest of the flock so i know it wasnt them. the chicks that have made it are doing good though.


lol no i know it wasnt him and my rooster is a nice rooster



aww at least five of them made it! only three of mine made it past the broody. i really dont think she killed them on purpose i think it was only an accident being a first time mom. i do feel bad for her though because she seems to look like she wants to brood some chicks.

That was my idea if sarcasm, I love my roosters too!

 

[PupsNHens]

aww at least five of them made it! only three of mine made it past the broody. i really dont think she killed them on purpose i think it was only an accident being a first time mom. i do feel bad for her though because she seems to look like she wants to brood some chicks.

I think my girl thought the chicks were hurting her eggs and she was protecting the eggs. I really don't think she made the connection between the eggs and the baby chicks. To her, they were messing with her eggs. When she was down to just one egg left to hatch, I put in a couple of fake eggs so she wouldn't think the chick destroyed all of her eggs. She did a good job sitting on them, she just wasn't ready to trade her eggs in for chicks! Oh, and she is a Buff Orp too.

 

[featherhead007]

I think my girl thought the chicks were hurting her eggs and she was protecting the eggs. I really don't think she made the connection between the eggs and the baby chicks. To her, they were messing with her eggs. When she was down to just one egg left to hatch, I put in a couple of fake eggs so she wouldn't think the chick destroyed all of her eggs. She did a good job sitting on them, she just wasn't ready to trade her eggs in for chicks! Oh, and she is a Buff Orp too.

Buff Orp! that explains it!

 

[featherhead007]

buff orp

 

[theuglyduckling]

buff orpView attachment 1441978

Aw hes a pretty roo

 

[MROO]

I've read the it is very common for first time broodies. I think they just become so focused on protecting their eggs that they don't understand that those eggs will eventually hatch baby chicks. It's almost as if they think that the chicks crushed their eggs

My first-time mama - a Nankin Bantam - seemed genuinely confused when her eggs hatched. She kept stepping off the nest and looking back and forth between the eggs and the chicks like she had no idea where the little fluff balls had come from. Too funny!

 

[rachelsflock]

Some hens just have faulty instincts (I've got one). In nature most of their offspring would die and the bad instincts wouldn't be carried on. They may even die too. With our and hatcheries interference, the bad instincts survive. I'm sorry you've had to deal with this. It's really a downer when it happens. Enjoy your chicks though. Hand raised birds tend to be friendlier in my experience.

 

[lazy gardener]

Mean mamas go on the short cull list in my flock.

 

[rachelsflock]

I didn't want to say that, but x2.
The only reason I have one right now is because the kids would notice because she's a silkie.