chicks dead due ' sloppy ' mom-hen , only 4 out of 18 to go ,help needed

[mtngirl35]

Is she mean to the chicks or only neglectful? I had one hen who could not keep up with her chicks. So now all my Mama Hens are put in a nursery coop with her babies and they are not allowed to free range until they have feathers to protect against the weather.

 

[strangeanimal]

Is she mean to the chicks or only neglectful? I had one hen who could not keep up with her chicks. So now all my Mama Hens are put in a nursery coop with her babies and they are not allowed to free range until they have feathers to protect against the weather.

Hi , well this would have been the idea of not for the fact they never even knew a coop nor a run , they have spend their life only pure free ranged and live as an actual group that seems to function well in keeping an eye open for eachother as I just have been pecked by two roosters both at same time while I tried to catch the hen that is sooooo broody . So I also tried this before when she was doing a hatch , and again when her chicks were born .
Only once I have been able to catch her , she looked like in a deep trance that night and sat on her eggs ( the typical sleeping vs hatching ! actually I had to laugh when i saw this ) , so I gently grabbed her from behind with my hand over her wings but Ow dear lord ! she had some power in that tiny body of hers ! I really had to letterly squeeze her just to be able to keep her in control . Took her eggs brought her inside the broodycoop ( not the breaker ! ) here but she has been screaming , and when I say screaming I do mean EXCESSIVELY screaming ...

So as far as my knowledge went , keeping her in any way " locked up " is simply impossible , she was also extremely freaking out at everything moving plus the fact she didn't live in a group at that time so she did not hatch anymore but I tried to test by taking an egg and she started to cry and act all crazy , I had only one option left and this was letting her go again , I felt sorry for the chicken and not just my neighbours but even my own because it was just too much for all of us . She kept really screaming and didn't eat nor drink , also not the solution if you ask me . the times she was silent were moments she tried to get away or got away or simply being depressed .

When her chicks were born , the first couple of days she didn't leave them , but after that she was extremely neglectfull , towards the chicks she was nice and protective against other birds / people in fact . ( she had already raised a few the year before as well ) . Its sad but I don't want this one to hatch anymore , she also lost so much weight that she doesn't look like an old english games bantam but like a frizzled teddybear urgh !

 

[DeviledEggs100]

Maybe she would be happy sitting on some fake eggs. If you can catch her and slip a couple fake eggs under her she might be quite and happy.