Last year this hen sat on some eggs and after finding 3 dead chicks I figured out she was killing them, and put the eggs under another hen. This year she stole a nest of eggs from another hen so we let her try it again.(thinking it was because last year she was young and it was her first time going broody) We've been checking the nest each morning and keeping a close eye on her. We were gone for 4 hours today and came home to find 2 dead chicks and one hiding...alive. I booted her off her nest and put her eggs and 1 chick in the incubator. She pecks them to death as soon as they break from the shell. There are bloody peck marks on their tiny wet heads/bodies. Anyone have a clue about why? It's definitely her, no other chickens had access to her or her eggs. I've never seen this before. She certainly won't be allowed to sit on any more eggs.
i dont know anything about chickens and them doing this but i do know a cat will eat her babies if she thinks they feel threatened... i hope someone knows why your hen would do this
Just a bit more info on this. Last year, the chicks that I found dead still had the yolk sac attached and there was no egg shell to be found. I think she had eaten the shell away and then pecked the chick to death as it started to pip the shell. These that I found today were wet, one was still partially in the shell, pecked to death. It was just horrible.
Either cull her or keep her for eggs only. She is a no good mother. I have one hen that had some chicks under her and she trated them very good,,, she was a serama. At that time I had a RIR chick hatch out and was 3 times bigger than the babies she had. I put the rir chick under her. After 1 hour came out and found the chick dead. She pecked it to death. She didnt hurt her own chicks. So I have seen it happen but not her own offspring. Your hen is sick in the head.
I have 2 hens that will peck chicks that aren't theirs but I haven't had one yet that killed her own chicks. Sorry that happend.
My grandfather had a rabbit kill all of her babies. Don't know why but he said she was "No good" and became rabbit stew. This was many many years ago. So sorry about your chicks.
Wow - that is unusual - a broody will usually protect her chicks against all comers. I wouldn't let her brood anymore - either keep her for eggs only or sell her.
