Mama Hen pecking her 5 week old chicks

[aryana9]

Hello...It would of been smoother if you would of let Momma raise her Chicks in the flock. She would of integrated them. She is weaning them off her.

its always best when your chicken goes broody is to keep her in a nice secure area in the same house as the others so they will still see her.

The mama sat on her eggs in one of the 3 nesting boxes that the other two used. I just screened off an area for mama. Once they hatched, I put her and her 6 chicks into a different screened off area in the secure run. The secure run is 8 x 20 with a roof and hardware cloth sides. So the other two have been exposed to mama and chicks through the screen the whole time. Well, last night the chicks stayed in their area separated from mama and the other two and seem to be fine this morning. Mama, somehow in the night broke out of her screened confined area and went up to roost with the other two. Yikes!! Lots of feathers under the roost but they seem kind of OK this morning. They are together and not pecking her, and she's next to Ms Alpha laying her egg. Though lots of puffed up feathers and warning sounds. Phew, I think they will survive this. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[chickens really]

Stop separating the Birds and they will figure it out..Everyone together as they free range today and allow them to figure out life...

 

[kimthom66]

Stop separating the Birds and they will figure it out..Everyone together as they free range today and allow them to figure out life...

I am having similar issues with momma hens pecking on chicks and other momma hens...its really hard to know when to intervene and when to let them hash it out? It seems so brutal??

 

[chickens really]

I am having similar issues with momma hens pecking on chicks and other momma hens...its really hard to know when to intervene and when to let them hash it out? It seems so brutal??

It all relates to space and age of the Chicks.When everyone was in the Flock?.Keeping Momma and Chicks separated doesn't help with getting them accepted. The older the Chicks the less Momma protects them.

 

[kimthom66]

I have 3 momma hens with 8 chicks, 5 chicks are older (4 weeks) and 3 are younger almost 2 weeks. The momma with the 5 older chicks is mean to the other two (one has 2 chicks one momma has only 1) then this morning I noticed the two with the younger chicks were fighting? I keep them in the same coop at night and during the day I partition off a portion of the run so they are separate but can see each other.