Hens pecking over chicks

[krobin04]

1- One hen had 5 chicks hatch, one hen had 2 chicks hatch, one hen had 1 chick hatch- all are beautiful and seemingly healthy.
2- Do I need to separate the various mothers? They are starting to peck each other going after eye area, and I am worried enough to do a cage-in-pen, will they work it out, and all recognize their own or what?

 

[sourland]

If they have enough space to get away from one another, they will work it out. If the pen is too small, they may start attacking and killing one another's chicks. Enough space is the most important factor here.

 

[elmo]

I kept my broodies separate for just this reason. Once they had finished mothering, I let them go back together and am letting the chicks grow up together in separate housing until they're closer in size to the adults.

 

[darkmatter]

Must be space needed. I've had broody hens share chicks with the chicks running back and forth between the mama hens as they cluck to call the chicks to a "goody" they've found. I've had as many as three broody's sharing a spot on the coop floor at night with more then a dozen chicks huddled under the combined broody shelter.

 

[krobin04]

It is probably a space issue, yes. They are in a 10x10x6 kennek with a coop inside of that. Three boxes insde. I put up some chicken wire across the kennel and set up the hen with 5 chicks on one side and left the other 2 on the other. This is dumb, but how long til they stop mothering? Also I have removed the rooster from the kennel, and that seems to have settled the girls down a bit.