Mama hen bullys her babies

[Puranin]

My hen hatched and raised 10 babies. They are about 3 months of old and she wants nothing to do with them. They can just be standing in the grass and she will charge them everybody else gets along great. But the fear of that hen is keeping the 4 babies I kept from roosting in the coop. What do I do I know they need a pecking order but I don't want something to get the babies over night. T hey free range so no other real protection

 

[ChickonLand]

My hen hatched and raised 10 babies. They are about 3 months of old and she wants nothing to do with them. They can just be standing in the grass and she will charge them everybody else gets along great. But the fear of that hen is keeping the 4 babies I kept from roosting in the coop. What do I do I know they need a pecking order but I don't want something to get the babies over night. T hey free range so no other real protection

I just had this same problem in June! Except my hen's babies were only two weeks old when she wanted them to defend themselves. I didn't think much of it because, yes, they were small but we have plenty of bushes for them to hide under until they were older. If you feel like they are too small then try separating them until they're larger. But they sound pretty big already, 3 months? They should be fine

 

[robyn8]

I think that's pretty normal behavior. My hen started pecking her babies at 5 weeks and was way meaner to them than any of the other big hens. Now at a little over 3 months they have learned their place in the order and avoid her all together.

 

[andreanar]

Can you add another roost for the littles?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, that is normal behavior all around. A hen weans her chicks when ever she wants to. This year I've had two broodies raise chicks, one weaned hers at 3 week the other at 4 weeks. In past years I've had some broodies go over 2 months. There is nothing really consistent with the timing and not always with the method either. I've had some sleep with them at night but leave them on their own during the day. And I've had some take care of them during the day but abandon them at night. But with most it's a clean break when ever it happens.

How big is your coop? How are the roosts set up? My chicks don't roost on the main roosts with the adults until they mature enough to force their way into the pecking order. With pullets that's usually about the time they start to lay. With cockerels, who knows. If they try before they are mature enough they normally get beat up pretty badly by the adults. Until then they look for a safer place to sleep. That might be on the floor, it might be on or in something else, like your nests. I integrate all the time and put a juvenile roost a little lower than the main roosts, higher than the nests, and horizontally separated from the main roosts to give them a safe place to go that is not my nests. My coop is big enough I can do that.

I still have had some juveniles totally leave the coop to sleep. I usually toss them back into the main coop after dark and lock them in until they get in the habit of going in themselves. Sometimes they catch on pretty quickly, sometimes it takes weeks.

I also have a grow-out coop at the far end of the main run. If it's empty I may lock them in there at night until they start sleeping in there on their own. When they mature enough I move them back to the main coop. That may be your solution, especially if your coop is fairly small. Give them a safe predator proof place to sleep that is not your main coop, at least for a while.

 

[Puranin]

Yes, that is normal behavior all around. A hen weans her chicks when ever she wants to. This year I've had two broodies raise chicks, one weaned hers at 3 week the other at 4 weeks. In past years I've had some broodies go over 2 months. There is nothing really consistent with the timing and not always with the method either. I've had some sleep with them at night but leave them on their own during the day. And I've had some take care of them during the day but abandon them at night. But with most it's a clean break when ever it happens.

How big is your coop? How are the roosts set up? My chicks don't roost on the main roosts with the adults until they mature enough to force their way into the pecking order. With pullets that's usually about the time they start to lay. With cockerels, who knows. If they try before they are mature enough they normally get beat up pretty badly by the adults. Until then they look for a safer place to sleep. That might be on the floor, it might be on or in something else, like your nests. I integrate all the time and put a juvenile roost a little lower than the main roosts, higher than the nests, and horizontally separated from the main roosts to give them a safe place to go that is not my nests. My coop is big enough I can do that.

I still have had some juveniles totally leave the coop to sleep. I usually toss them back into the main coop after dark and lock them in until they get in the habit of going in themselves. Sometimes they catch on pretty quickly, sometimes it takes weeks.

I also have a grow-out coop at the far end of the main run. If it's empty I may lock them in there at night until they start sleeping in there on their own. When they mature enough I move them back to the main coop. That may be your solution, especially if your coop is fairly small. Give them a safe predator proof place to sleep that is not your main coop, at least for a while.

My coop is pretty large. The main part has 2 roost bars and 4 layerboxes then there is a 3x3 run with a roof and then the back coop has two layer boxes and 2 roosts. I've got a total of 12 birds. 4 ducks 8 chickens. When I put the babies in the big coop no problem they
go either to the back or the nest boxes on the lower level (mostly for the ducks) . they have been in a side pen for awhile at night but they are almost to big for it.