Mama Hen is now a bully to her chicks

[DebGilly]

My mama hen was a wonderful mother to her seven chicks. After seven weeks, she cut them loose, but since then she's been horribly aggressive to them. My chicken run is over 400 square feet so there is plenty of room. During the day, the seven chicks are fine and just keep their distance from her. At night, she won't let them onto the roost in the coop: she chases them off the roost, aggressively pecks them, plucks their feathers. Its an ordeal every night and has been going on for a week. The chicks are two months old and most of them try every night to get on the roost, eventually they huddle together in a nesting box. There are two roosts and she won't allow them on either. What to do?

 

[swamphiker]

How many total chickens do you have and how big is their coop?

 

[DebGilly]

I have two adult hens, one is the chicken mama. I have seven 2-month-old chickens. The coop is 30 square feet with two roosts. One roost has always stayed empty but mama hen won't even let the little ones on the empty roost. They can only sleep in one of the four nesting boxes. Tonight I'm going to place a dog kennel in the coop and put mama in there for a few nights. Thoughts on this idea?

 

[swamphiker]

I have two adult hens, one is the chicken mama. I have seven 2-month-old chickens. The coop is 30 square feet with two roosts. One roost has always stayed empty but mama hen won't even let the little ones on the empty roost. They can only sleep in one of the four nesting boxes. Tonight I'm going to place a dog kennel in the coop and put mama in there for a few nights. Thoughts on this idea?

That seems like a good idea to try! Good luck and let us know how it goes. Things should get easier as the chicks get closer in size to the hens.

 

[DebGilly]

I put mama hen in a kennel. The other older hen then took over the role of abusing the younger chicks in the coop. I let mama hen out of the kennel, but I locked both of the older hens out of the coop. They are in a well-secured chicken yard so they're not in any danger and the temperatures are nice. My coop has a front door and a back door. Tomorrow I'm going to separate the coop with chicken wire and I'll have to do night-time management to ensure the two older hens are in one half, while the younger chickens will be in the other half. The older hens are abrasive in the daytime hours while in the chicken yard, but the yard is very large so the bullyness isn't near as bad as it is inside the coop. I appreciate any suggestions.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My mama hen was a wonderful mother to her seven chicks. After seven weeks, she cut them loose

Sounds normal. I've had broody hens cut them loose at three weeks, others not until they are almost 3 months old. Once she weans them, they are on their own with the flock.

My flock, coop, and run are all significantly larger than yours so that can change a few things. Typically the chicks learn to avoid the other adults while Mama is still raising them. If they invade the personal space of another adult they might get pecked or chased so they quickly learn to stay away. Yours seem to be doing that well during the day but night is when you have your problems.

At night my adults sleep on the roosts. The adults do not let them on the roosts. The chicks sleep somewhere else. That might be on the coop floor or on something other than the main roosts. To help keep them out of my nests I put up a juvenile roost, separated from the adult roosts, a little lower than the main roosts, and higher than the nests. Your coop might not be big enough to do something like that and get enough separation between roosts. You may be OK with them sleeping in a nest as long as the others aren't laying eggs in there.

There can always be exceptions, sometimes mine mingle more than other times, but typically they maintain this separation until the pullets start laying. Then they are accepted into the adult pecking order.

Tomorrow I'm going to separate the coop with chicken wire and I'll have to do night-time management to ensure the two older hens are in one half, while the younger chickens will be in the other half.

To me this sounds like it should work.

The coop is 30 square feet with two roosts.

That coop does not meet the generally suggested minimums you see on this forum for your 9 chickens but since you have a secure run it should work once they are fully integrated if you leave the pop door open all of the time so they can get out when they wake up. I don't know where you are located though, your winter weather may prevent them being able to get outside when the sun comes up.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have also seen suggested taping a big piece of cardboard from the ceiling or wall to separate the roosts into two parts. Have it sit on the roost, or even put a hole in it and thread the cardboard with the roost, which will give it a bit mores support. Out of sight means out of mind for most chickens.

 

[DebGilly]

Thanks for

Sounds normal. I've had broody hens cut them loose at three weeks, others not until they are almost 3 months old. Once she weans them, they are on their own with the flock.

My flock, coop, and run are all significantly larger than yours so that can change a few things. Typically the chicks learn to avoid the other adults while Mama is still raising them. If they invade the personal space of another adult they might get pecked or chased so they quickly learn to stay away. Yours seem to be doing that well during the day but night is when you have your problems.

At night my adults sleep on the roosts. The adults do not let them on the roosts. The chicks sleep somewhere else. That might be on the coop floor or on something other than the main roosts. To help keep them out of my nests I put up a juvenile roost, separated from the adult roosts, a little lower than the main roosts, and higher than the nests. Your coop might not be big enough to do something like that and get enough separation between roosts. You may be OK with them sleeping in a nest as long as the others aren't laying eggs in there.

There can always be exceptions, sometimes mine mingle more than other times, but typically they maintain this separation until the pullets start laying. Then they are accepted into the adult pecking order.


To me this sounds like it should work.


That coop does not meet the generally suggested minimums you see on this forum for your 9 chickens but since you have a secure run it should work once they are fully integrated if you leave the pop door open all of the time so they can get out when they wake up. I don't know where you are located though, your winter weather may prevent them being able to get outside when the sun comes up.

 

[DebGilly]

Thanks for the reply and good information. This is just my second time with baby chicks and the first time there were no adult hens around. I didn't realize that once she weaned her chicks she would be so aggressively mean toward them, but (because of you two) I'm learning this is normal.

After reading both replies I'm torn about separating them with chicken wire. If it is normal behavior for adult hens not to let chicks on the roosts, then maybe I shouldn't interfere with nature. I have cameras inside the coop and I can't bear to watch those little chicks get treated so badly. One remedy is to quit looking at the video. Mrs. K mentions using cardboard to separate the roosts. I can do either: cardboard or chicken wire; but perhaps cardboard is better so they don't see each other? Or is chicken wire fine? Chicken wire would hold up a little better. I really don't want to do anything that makes those older hens treat them even worse. Thank you both for letting me know that this is normal. I have read several posts regarding chickens that are bullies and the various remedies. It sounds like I don't have bullies, I just have the natural segregation of adults and weaned chicks. I feel better to know this so I'll quit trying the recommendations suggested for bullies.

My coop has an automatic door on two sides, they open at 6:30 am. I have a large secure chicken yard with a chicken-wire tunnel that connects to another large yard. The connected tunnel also has an automatic door to close at night because the secondary yard is not secure enough for night-time predators. The chicks do just fine during the day; its exactly as described by Ridgerunner.

Thank you Ridgerunner and Mrs K! I would love to create a profile like yours, Mrs K, that shows my location and some pics of my coop/yard and chickens, but I can't figure out how.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If it is normal behavior for adult hens not to let chicks on the roosts, then maybe I shouldn't interfere with nature.

In nature feral flocks sleep in trees. There are plenty of roost space where they are widely separated. It is natural for them to roost, just not close together.

Mrs. K mentions using cardboard to separate the roosts. I can do either: cardboard or chicken wire; but perhaps cardboard is better so they don't see each other? Or is chicken wire fine?

I think what @Mrs. K is talking about is a barrier so they cannot see each other once they are on the roost. Not dividing the coop into two sections. There are usually many different solutions. If the cardboard works (and it could) then it should be easier to install and maintain than chicken wire.

It sounds like I don't have bullies, I just have the natural segregation of adults and weaned chicks.