Chicks getting pecked when hatched....too late to move to incubator?

[Thomas423]

I have a group of silkie hens sitting on eggs. The first chicked hatched from the batch was pecked a little but I pulled it out and it surrvived just fine.
A bunch more hatched and I kept getting them out asap after they hatched. Another one along the way was pecked to death.
Now, for the last 2 days, a chick hatched each day and was killed before I could get it.

I'm not sure who's doing the killing. I thought about removing the rooster but nobody else (my other hens) want him with them. There has never been a problem in the past with the chicks. When they hatched during the winter, I left the chicks in there and they grew just fine. I thought maybe the momma's were upset that I kept taking the babies, but then I remembered that the first chick hatched this summer was pecked also.

Any ideas???

Is there any way I could move the eggs to the incubator? I have no idea how far along the eggs are and the eggs were laid at different times so turning and lockdown would be an issue. Ideas?? If they keep killing them, I might have to pull the eggs anyway.

 

[medan]

put them in a brooder

 

[Thomas423]

The chicks are getting pecked before I can put them in the brooder. I've been pulling them all summer but now they are killing them before I can get them out.

 

[classless chickens]

Having the same problem. I have SLW that went broody. Found her nest in the wood pile, moved it to the "nursery". Started with 9 now only have 4??? Found 2 fully developed chicks dead and still under the hen? The nursery is closed off to "visitors". It has to be momma hen?? I don 't understand why she is killing her chicks?? I moved what was left to the incubator. Only checked one for life. Good. Hopefully I can do a better job.

 

[Bunnylady]

I have had chicks murdered too, and never could figure out who was to blame. I learned to check under the hen(s) a couple of times every day, and remove any eggs that have pipped. I put the cheeping eggs into my incubator, and they finished hatching where they were safe from hostile beaks. It's one step further back than letting them hatch and then removing them, but less work than hatching them yourself!

 

[mechey]

From my experience raising chickens, all other hens hate another hens biddies. Even the rooster. They will try their best to eliminate any competition with their favor to the rooster, hens have their pecking order,from top hen who always sites beside the rooster, to the last hen on the totum pole (roost). Even these are apt to peck each other.The poor little chicks are just too young to peck back or defend themselves. We, when that happens try to move the mama hen and her unhatched eggs, along with her young chicks, at night, to a nest box away from the other hens. I have learned now that if a hen starts sitting where there are other hens, there will be trouble, so I move her at night to a private nesting area.

 

[Thomas423]

Thanks for the replies.
For now, I think I'll check for pipping eggs and I'l work on getting private nesting boxes.
"Looks like I'll be needing another coop hunny" LOL