Hen killing her babies as they hatch :'(

[littlekatzz]

I had a hen go broody and gave her some eggs to sit on. About a week later another hen joined her. We'll as the babies are hatching the second mom has been killing them. After the first one got attacked I locked her out of the coop. Apparently I didn't shut the door well enough she got back in and half killed another and skinned half the face off another. Hubby put the one that was dying down. I think the other chick might make it and just be a pirate chicken. I have put crazy hen in a wire dog kennel for now and will probably sell her at our next chicken swap. I will be upfront that while she will sit on eggs and go broody she is not to be trusted with babies. But just wow I've never had this happen before. All I can figure is she though the babies were invading her nest and she was defending it.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen is not the problem. Keep broody hens separate. Problems as you describe only occur when hens with broods or otherwise incubating are too close together.

 

[littlekatzz]

I've had hens brood together before with out ever having issues. My first year with chickens I had four hens protecting five babies. So this was a complete surprise. But guess its time to start separating out when they go broody. Sadly I'm running out of places to stick hens who go broody.

 

[centrarchid]

I've had hens brood together before with out ever having issues. My first year with chickens I had four hens protecting five babies. So this was a complete surprise. But guess its time to start separating out when they go broody. Sadly I'm running out of places to stick hens who go broody.

I have had hens co-parent before as well and once two hens reared 12 chicks together but that is a very weak argument for allowing it to happen. When I keep it so hens are separated from each other while on the nest and allowed to range apart with chicks during day I currently average 6 chicks per hen by time chicks are weaned at about 5 weeks and have averaged 8 chicks per hen. When you get particular on numbers reared to weaning by pairs of hens the hatch rate takes a nose dive usually averaging lower than what one hen hatches from half as many eggs at start and survival brings the average even lower making so those pairs are lucky to raise 4 chicks between them. This is a numbers game where lives can be lost in the interest of the cute-factor.


If you have 5-gallon buckets with lids you can make very cheap nests that can be moved easily.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Many people are quite successful letting two or more broodies hatch together and letting them work together to raise the chicks. It often works fine. But each chicken is an individual and no two incubations are exactly the same. They are living animals. No one can predict what any one will do in a certain circumstance.

Some of the bad things that can happen are:

1) What you are seeing. One hen kills the other hen’s chicks.
2) The hens fight over the eggs or chicks. This itself isn’t necessarily that bad, but eggs or chicks can be damaged or killed in these fights.
3) If you have two broodies inn separate nests and eggs start to hatch under one of them, the other may abandon her nest and go to where she hears the chicks. The hens may work together to raise the chicks or they may fight. In either case the other eggs are abandoned.

I’m sure I’m forgetting some things.

There have been photos on this forum where someone had a half dozen or more broodies, each in its own nest in the same immediate area. Many people have posted pictures where it is so cute when multiple broodies work together to raise chicks. It often does work out when you have multiple broodies. But sometime it doesn’t.

 

[centrarchid]

Many people are quite successful letting two or more broodies hatch together and letting them work together to raise the chicks. It often works fine. But each chicken is an individual and no two incubations are exactly the same. They are living animals. No one can predict what any one will do in a certain circumstance.

Some of the bad things that can happen are:

1) What you are seeing. One hen kills the other hen’s chicks.
2) The hens fight over the eggs or chicks. This itself isn’t necessarily that bad, but eggs or chicks can be damaged or killed in these fights.
3) If you have two broodies inn separate nests and eggs start to hatch under one of them, the other may abandon her nest and go to where she hears the chicks. The hens may work together to raise the chicks or they may fight. In either case the other eggs are abandoned.

I’m sure I’m forgetting some things.

There have been photos on this forum where someone had a half dozen or more broodies, each in its own nest in the same immediate area. Many people have posted pictures where it is so cute when multiple broodies work together to raise chicks. It often does work out when you have multiple broodies. But sometime it doesn’t.

4) Hens have different ideas about when and where to do what increasing time chicks exposed to elements.
5) More time can be required for hens to forage for self maintenance also conflicting with chicks need for brooding time or even makes less food available to for chicks especially when free-range eats most important.


I speak of long-term averages, not simply where chicks are raised or not regardless of how low the number is.