Mama hen MMA

[BeatricesBitties]

I have two mama hens, one has been with the rest of the flock and her babies for a couple of weeks. This morning I let the mama with her 3 week old chicks out with everyone else and the two mamas seem to be trying to kill each other. Babies are all fine, albeit a little freaked out when the mamas fight. Should I keep them separated?

 

[nuthatched]

You deed to reintroduce them slowly, On the other side of a fence for a few weeks.

 

[BeatricesBitties]

You deed to reintroduce them slowly, On the other side of a fence for a few weeks.

They actually have been together for three weeks. I have a small coop in the large chicken yard, so they’ve only been separated by the wire mesh. The two mamas have done a little “fence fighting” through the mesh, which is why I’m supervising the integration.

 

[nuthatched]

They actually have been together for three weeks. I have a small coop in the large chicken yard, so they’ve only been separated by the wire mesh. The two mamas have done a little “fence fighting” through the mesh, which is why I’m supervising the integration.

That's puzzling. Hormones could be making the hens aggressive

 

[Ridgerunner]

My guess is that one hen wants to take over raising all of the chicks, not just hers, so she is trying to take them away. The other hen does not want her chicks kidnapped and taken from her. This is not that unusual, the mothering instinct is really strong in some hens.

Sometimes hens will work together to raise all the chicks together. Sometimes they just take care of their own. Sometimes they fight. In your spot I'd either keep the two broodies separated with their own chicks or let one hen raise them all and break the other broody hen.

 

[BeatricesBitties]

The mama with the older chicks has already set her babies loose (they’re just over 6 weeks old). The younger babies are almost 4 weeks. I guess I’ll just keep them separated until they’re big enough to be on their own. {{{sigh}}} Back to moving the yard around twice a day!