Hen killed chick!

[gruffy]

That's so sad I honestly didn't think it was possible until I found this thread.

 

[Chook Kingdom]

Yah, they can get nasty! One chicken actually hoped off her eggs at someone trying to grab her chicks. Over Protective!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had one bantam hen hatch a single egg that I gave her, when the chick hatched she left the nest, I moved the chick out of the nest box and onto the floor, and she began to peck and fling it while calling it, I tossed her aside, she went back to the nest she was sitting in and settled down on nothing, so I started pulling broody hens out of the boxes to see who wanted it, my naked back frizzle took it immediately, the chick was confused for a while because they get to know the sound of the clucking mama hen that hatched them and they want to go to that sound, I penned them together, and now a week later they are outside together, though there is still a lot of hen drama because of one tiny chick, the original hen is still trying to hatch nothing. I know this hen has never been a mama, but my frizzle hen is quite experienced, so maybe that's the difference.

 

[winteree]

my hen named works

hatched out a chick this wensday and after being with the chick for two days she called it out into the coop run from the nest box. i thought everything was ok since she was showing it how to eat etc. Then about 20 or so mins later i heard the chick peeping its head off i ran in to the coop to find it being attacked by three hens and two roosters with its mother hen leading the charge. I'm so confused the chick is ok and in a brooder now but i have never seen this before even when i was working for my grandmother. the bannys hatched out and are raising their two chicks just fine but my big red hen is trying to attack her own chick even through the wire. any suggestions i'm stumped here.

 

[gruffy]

Poor little biddie I'm thinking it could be learned behavior in your case. One bird picks on a chick and everyone else starts thinking of them as food even mama. But my hens never attacked the chicks even after our one psycho bird tried to eat her own baby so can't be sure.
Our hen was really nice and gentle but she could be feisty . She chased pigeons since she was a tiny chick so it could also be an underlying temperment we can't generally see.

 

[gruffy]

I have noticed since our hen has harassed our younger birds they aren't as accepting of birds younger than them (also why I'm planning to sell our nasty hen haha)

 

[lynneym]

Since we are on the topic of homicidal hens, I'm hoping someone can help me. I have a mixed breed hen who went broody unexpectedly and has been sitting on eggs due to hatch tomorrow. I discovered earlier today that she is trying to eat the eggs as they hatch. I discovered a live baby chick half in its shell still...still breathing. I'm guessing it pipped and she started going to town. So sad. I removed the eggs from her care and put them all in an incubator. The chick in the half shell was sitting in the nesting box for about 20 minutes while I drove to get the incubator. It's still breathing but there's been some breathing and it looks like some of the yolk has ruptured. Is there any hope for this bird? Am I putting the others at risk leaving it in the bator? Thanks

 

[winteree]

Poor little biddie

I'm thinking it could be learned behavior in your case. One bird picks on a chick and everyone else starts thinking of them as food even mama. But my hens never attacked the chicks even after our one psycho bird tried to eat her own baby so can't be sure.
Our hen was really nice and gentle but she could be feisty . She chased pigeons since she was a tiny chick so it could also be an underlying temperment we can't generally see.

maybe. works is my dominant hen as such she is normally the first to eat etc and has had some other bird aggressions in the past but i never thought she would go nuts on her own chick I'm going to try re introducing them tonight and see if it works.

 

[winteree]

Since we are on the topic of homicidal hens, I'm hoping someone can help me. I have a mixed breed hen who went broody unexpectedly and has been sitting on eggs due to hatch tomorrow. I discovered earlier today that she is trying to eat the eggs as they hatch. I discovered a live baby chick half in its shell still...still breathing. I'm guessing it pipped and she started going to town. So sad. I removed the eggs from her care and put them all in an incubator. The chick in the half shell was sitting in the nesting box for about 20 minutes while I drove to get the incubator. It's still breathing but there's been some breathing and it looks like some of the yolk has ruptured. Is there any hope for this bird? Am I putting the others at risk leaving it in the bator? Thanks

i hate to say it but yes and no. If the chick absorbed some of the yolk sac and all that was eatten was the egg fuild it has a chance if not and if the other chicks touch that chick when they hatch they could all die from a yolk sac infection. But all hope isn't lost if you do decide not to kill this chick you can buy a holed organizing box to separate the chick in the bator while the others are hatching.
this with a lid ed plastic shoe box can also double over as a death chamber as shown above if you don't want to risk it.

 

[lynneym]

thanks for your feedback. The little bird wasn't breathing or moving anymore when I went to check on it...super sad, but at least I caught the trend before the major hatching starts tomorrow. All the other eggs have been cleaned of yolk and old egg remnants and I"m hoping some will live.