Chick with broken neck. Can mama hen break bones?

[TheChips]

Well sadly my bantom hen had a baby chick last week under the extreme cold weather we have been having.

I went outside to check on the chick and she was laying sideways unable to move. I saw her wings lift once. But seems like her neck was broken. She didnt lift it up.

I dont know if the cold got to her, or if the mama hen accidentally broke her neck trying to keep her warm.

Well shortly after the chick died. The coop was decently warm and the mama hen and the baby chick were separated from the others in a closed off area with proper ventilation. I had a warm area for them. But would like to know if its possible for hens to accidentally i jure the chicks. Or if it was just the cold that got to her body.

 

[sourland]

Possible but not probable especially with a bantam hen. I would guess that somehow the chick got chilled.

 

[TheChips]

I had checked on them a few hours before and everything was okay. I feel pretty bad about this. I should have brought them inside this week.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Sometimes, hens can become homicidal (chick-cidal?) and kill their chicks. Usually, it happens immediately upon hatching.

If her neck was broken, I doubt she'd be able to move her wings at all... She would probably die instantly.

It sounds to me like she couldn't get back under mama. Bantams are typically great mothers. So sorry to hear of your loss.

MrsB

 

[pjwood67]

Look up wry neck that would be my guess along with the cold weather. I bet it was a Silkie. My friend has a lot of trouble with wry neck in her silkies and she is obsessive with mixing her feed with extra vitamins, calcium, you name it.