Hen pecking newly hatched chicks. Normal?

[ChickenMamaSarah]

My hen is pecking her newly hatched chicks. So much that they’re moving away from or back under her. Is this normal?

 

[chuckachucka]

There are only two reasons why a broody hen pecks chicks. The first is because she is rejecting them, in which case she will very aggressively peck at their heads and even try to pick them up and throw them away with her beak.
The second reason is if she is just trying to encourage them to stay snuggled under her and not wander off. Chicks have to learn that she is their only safety so in the very beginning mother hens will gently peck at their chicks to encourage them to get back under her.

The difference is how aggressively she is pecking and whether she seems to be moving them toward her or moving them away from her. A mother hen rejecting chicks is very different because the force used can be enough to toss the chicks in the air.

 

[chuckachucka]

I suspect she is just being a good mother and the chicks are just being curious little chicks. All normal. Congrats on the new hatchlings by the way!

 

[ChickenMamaSarah]

Thank you so much!!! It looks to me like she’s trying to get them closer to her but they’re just so fragile that it makes me nervous. She’s definitely not being aggressive. This helps a ton! Thanks!

 

[Chick lover Sherry]

There are only two reasons why a broody hen pecks chicks. The first is because she is rejecting them, in which case she will very aggressively peck at their heads and even try to pick them up and throw them away with her beak.
The second reason is if she is just trying to encourage them to stay snuggled under her and not wander off. Chicks have to learn that she is their only safety so in the very beginning mother hens will gently peck at their chicks to encourage them to get back under her.

The difference is how aggressively she is pecking and whether she seems to be moving them toward her or moving them away from her. A mother hen rejecting chicks is very different because the force used can be enough to toss the chicks in the air.

Thank you so much! I just witnessed this in our first-hatched as it was trying to waddle out and was worried! I appreciate the way you explained the difference because I was getting worried that she was rejecting

 

[WIchickMama]

I literally saw this today too! Two light pecks to it's back and under mama it went.