Help! Hens attacking chickless mama

[RaptorMom]

I have a hen who hatched chicks several weeks ago. I had Mama and chicks behind a mesh divider in the coop. Either the chicks were escaping or somehow hens got in there but the chicks slowly got picked off. There was one left and it was about three weeks old when I let it and mama out into general population and beside some chasing by the other hens, things seemed to be fine. Yesterday somehow the hens got a hold of the last chick and ate it. Now today the hens are on full attack mode against the now chickless mama and I'm afraid they will kill her. I have re separated her behind the mesh divider for now, but I'm not sure how to proceed.

 

[Saveria]

What is your setup like? That sounds like some extreme behavior, something must be up.

 

[Theorrin]

What is your setup like? That sounds like some extreme behavior, something must be up.

id like to know this too. this is extreme and the last time i had to deal with something this extreme was because i was feeding my chickens raw meat scraps ( i was 12 at the time and its what my grandparents did) turns out raw meat scraps bad and my chickens would cannibalize any new chicken i tried to add to the flock. even going through 7 roosters. whats your setup like and do you happen to feed them raw meat scraps?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have a hen who hatched chicks several weeks ago. I had Mama and chicks behind a mesh divider in the coop. Either the chicks were escaping or somehow hens got in there but the chicks slowly got picked off.

We need to see pics of your set up, what you're describing as mesh.. rats happen too.

Sounds like she was separated too long and pecking order is disrupted.

Please describe feed routine including treats and supplements.. also space dimensions of coop, run, range.. and how many birds of each gender are included in your flock?

i had to deal with something this extreme was because i was feeding my chickens raw meat scraps ( i was 12 at the time and its what my grandparents did) turns out raw meat scraps bad and my chickens would cannibalize any new chicken i tried to add to the flock. even going through 7 roosters.

Raw meat doesn't cause cannibalism.

Incorrect introduction of a foreigner into occupied territory does. Chickens are territorial.

Sorry for your experience!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

It’s good you separated her. Is mother hen low in rank? Make sure the flock can’t fly up and over the divider.

 

[Theorrin]

We need to see pics of your set up, what you're describing as mesh.. rats happen too.

Sounds like she was separated too long and pecking order is disrupted.

Please describe feed routine including treats and supplements.. also space dimensions of coop, run, range.. and how many birds of each gender are included in your flock?


Raw meat doesn't cause cannibalism.

Incorrect introduction of a foreigner into occupied territory does. Chickens are territorial.

Sorry for your experience!

it can for the ones i had. ive done everything the same for years aside from giving them raw meat. slow intros, same food (aside from the raw beef and deer), same treats same everything. the only difference i had ever done was give the original flock raw meat

 

[RaptorMom]

I have one rooster and 17 hens of various breeds. The coop is 8x10 and the main run is 16x20 with a larger run they can access most days. The separated area is under the poop board behind the green netting.
I give them a mash of layer feed and water everyday (though I did switch to chick feed for awhile last fall when I had an earlier batch of chicks; everything went fine that time). Sometimes I supplement with ACV and cayenne powder. They get treats of sunflower seeds, wild bird seed, grass clippings/weeds from the yard, and kitchen scraps (veggies and fruit, no meat).
The rooster has been quite aggressive to any caretakers. Can rooster behavior rub off onto hens?

 

[RaptorMom]

Oh, and I did see a hen finish eating one of the first chicks to go. I have seen mice in the coop, but never rats.

 

[RaptorMom]

We need to see pics of your set up, what you're describing as mesh.. rats happen too.

Sounds like she was separated too long and pecking order is disrupted.

Please describe feed routine including treats and supplements.. also space dimensions of coop, run, range.. and how many birds of each gender are included in your flock?


Raw meat doesn't cause cannibalism.

Incorrect introduction of a foreigner into occupied territory does. Chickens are territorial.

Sorry for your experience!

I posted my set-up above. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Saveria]

I'm so sorry, you need answers, but I am just going to pepper you with more questions!

Do you know what percent protein the feed has that you are using?

I see some feathers missing. Do you know if that is from feather picking, or did they scratch them off for depluming mites or something similar?

Is the violent behavior, especially the chick eating, coming from one or two hens specifically? If so, do those hens lay the most?

I am trying to find out if their cannibalistic tendencies are from not getting what they need, or if it is from them just being crazy for some reason.

Is there any chance they can be allowed to free range? Maybe in an electronet fence of some sort? I'm not sure this would solve the problem, but it might help.

I would not let her out until there is an action plan, but you also may want to clutter up your run to help with this in the future.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/