Hen attacks chicks - advice please

[Wuick]

Hello!
I have a broody hen (broody #1) that killed her last clutch at two days old. I thought perhaps it was stress so when she went broody again I put her in a nice quiet spot with my other broody (broody #2) both had plenty of room and seemed content. Broody #2 hatched her clutch first and after two days Broody #1 left her nest and started attacking the chicks. Lucky for me Broody #2 is the queen around here and she wasn’t having it.
The two have now been separated so that the chicks are safe.

My question is about Broody #1. Is there a way to break this behavior? She is an 18mo old Ameraucana if that is helpful.

Thank you for any help and advice!

 

[azygous]

The role of a broody hen is pure instinct. She either has the instinct to nurture chicks or not. In some cases, a broody has the instinct to kill instead of nurture. I had a very reliable broody hen that sat, hatched and nurtured chicks for eight years. Then last year she killed the only chick she had hatched. Her career was clearly over. A bobcat came by two weeks later and finished her off.

I would say not to trust this broody with chicks. There is no way to break this behavior, and while age and experience may improve her parenting skills, I wouldn't want to count on it.

 

[Mrs. K]

One tends to think that all animals are great mothers, that it is a natural instinct. We have been in the cattle industry for decades and the variation of mothers in cows is amazing, some you think will lick the hair off the calf, and others get a lick and a promise and told, if you are going with me, come on.

I too, would be watching very close, and if this does go south, I would not brood her again.

 

[Verbon30]

I recommend incubator and broader box or getting rid of the hen if your not attached to her. I went with the incubator route because it broke my heart to take the chicks from the hen. I just can only keep so many chickens

 

[Wuick]

Thank you all for your advice. I appreciate the time you took to answer.

I think we will rehome the hen. If simply incubating her eggs would fix the problem I would do that but taking the effort to keep her away from all the other chicks would be a nightmare.