Hen chasing chicks?!

[Niallg1839]

We have 2 silkie hens who have been brooding but this morning one of them came out and started chasing two silkie chicks who are about 6-7 weeks old. They were terrified. Normally the hen that chased them is very docile but today she was clucking a lot and chasing them.

Would anyone have any idea why she would chase the chicks and how could I stop this in the future?

However, I did notice when she went back into the coop, she was only sitting on one egg and the other silkie hen had taken the others from her to sit on. Would this have upset her a lot?

Thank you!

 

[chooks4life]

She probably won't have paid much mind to the missing egg. Certainly it won't make her feel like chasing random chickens around, that is most likely due to feeling territorial due to being broody.

The chasing chicks is pretty aggressive, I would worry for their safety if she managed to corner them. She might even kill them. Is there a separate broody run and cage she can be in? Personally I don't keep chickens that chase others to attack them, it's never a good sign. Anyway, good luck with them.

Best wishes.

 

[Chicken Girl1]

She probably won't have paid much mind to the missing egg. Certainly it won't make her feel like chasing random chickens around, that is most likely due to feeling territorial due to being broody.

The chasing chicks is pretty aggressive, I would worry for their safety if she managed to corner them. She might even kill them. Is there a separate broody run and cage she can be in? Personally I don't keep chickens that chase others to attack them, it's never a good sign. Anyway, good luck with them.

Best wishes.

agreed

 

[donrae]

My broody hens always make the rounds terrorizing the rest of the flock when they get off the nest each day, so it sounds pretty normal to me. I just figure the poor things need to take their frustrations out on someone. I never have any injuries, but I don't as a rule have chicks that young in the flock unless they have a momma to stick up for them. I'd say as long as there is plenty of space for the chicks to run away, and maybe some hiding places for good measure, you're okay. Chasing is a normal chicken behavior to establish dominance.

 

[chooks4life]

Difference of viewpoints I guess. Many chicks 6 to 7 weeks old aren't being guarded by their mother anymore.

My broody hens establish dominance over the others, sort of re-enter the hierarchy, but they certainly don't chase others around, and NEVER babies. So that's not normal for my flock. Chasing isn't normal for any of my chickens, but I did select against nasty temperaments because that's one common cause of much stress and decrease in quality of life that I don't want my animals to have to suffer, and chasing others to attack them goes straight out the window when you select against other bad traits too. It's amazing how interlinked they tend to be.

Each to their own I guess. What's normal for one isn't normal for all. You get the whole spectrum, from completely calm and nonviolent flocks to cannibalistic, bullying, mutilating, killing flocks, with everything inbetween. For the most part, what's 'normal' is decided by what we allow to breed on.

Best wishes.

 

[Hykiko]

I had gotten a hen from my neighbors, they got evicted and wasn’t allowed to get any of their things including animals. We got baby chicks and she was doing fine with them until we started giving her mealworms with her feed, once she started getting the mealworms she started to chase my baby chicks. Most of the time I keep them separate but there is times I let them be together mostly when I’m cleaning the coop twice a week, but even then when no mealworms are present she chases them.