Devoted or Demon Mama?

[Laurenrg]

Mama banty hen was removed from her 6 chicks due to her not accepting 1. That 1 needs to stay with the rest to be safely introduced to the flock in 2-3 months. Now almost 1 week later Mama keeps jumping the fence to spend the day worrying the aviary fence where babies are kept. That one that she rejected initially was gray while the others were all of a similar coloring. Now they are turning different colors. Should I try allowing her back in?

 

[bruceha2000]

Well that is a conundrum isn't it?? I guess I would try but only supervised visits. After a week apart they may not accept her as "Mom" and snuggle up under her but may allow her to protect them and show them how to be chickens.

I had one hen that never accepted day olds at "o'dark thirty" but REALLY wanted to be Mom after a couple of days of being broken from her broody state. The chicks never went to her for heat nor wanted to sleep right next to her, they either went back to the broody hen that did accept them or to their Mama Heating Pad brooder when no hen was available. She would stick with the kids for 3 or 4 months where the hen that raised them would kick them to the curb at 2 months or sooner.

 

[Laurenrg]

Supervised visits -great Idea! I’m going to try.

 

[Laurenrg]

Well, Mama did great IN THE BEGINNING- she went right to their food calling them over and feeding them-even the gray one, AND THEN the gray one came around (2 too many times?) and she started pecking it away. So she is relegated back to general population and when she comes for her all day visits I will just let her hang out on the other side of the fence. Thanks for the advice!

 

[bruceha2000]

Curious that she is "racist". I have always gotten 2 of a few breeds at a time and have never had a hen care that they didn't look all the same.

Hey, you gave it a try and she's the loser.