Mama hen scratching like an insane lunatic

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

I never saw this until the end of last year. My mama hens were always so gentle with their babies. The end of last year, I had one hen do it, and she killed one baby and the other nearly died at about three weeks old. This year another new mom is doing the same thing. A friend of mine, her mama hen is doing it, and I just met another person whose hen is also doing this! I don’t actually know anyone right now whose hen isn’t doing this! It isn’t just simple scratching, it is violent, nonstop, and so extreme that they often forget to stop and warm the babies soon enough. The new babies are becoming exhausted and weak. I currently have them separated, and mama is acting pretty upset, and I hate doing this to her. Am I just supposed to accept several losses? It’s pretty sick to watch her scratching and every minute or so a baby screaming as it is rolled and trampled under her feet. Mama is a CA White from what I can tell, and has 9 babies. Any suggestions other than raise babies myself and lock mama in the barn so she cannot see them?

 

[Themellowyellows]

No, I think thats the best for the babys im not sure.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Dams are supposed to scratch the ground to find their chicks food, and they do often trample the chicks and fling them with their feet. Chickens do not care that chicks are under their feet, they are just thinking about finding them food. But constant scratching and hurting the chicks should not be tolerated－that neither helps the chicks nor finds food. It is better to separate them. The dam may be upset but that is her problem, the hormones will eventually wear off if she has no chicks to care for.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Are these quarantined in a smaller space/brooder where there's not enough room for babies to get clear?

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

Are these quarantined in a smaller space/brooder where there's not enough room for babies to get clear?

They have an acre to roam. She was keeping them in the run (10x20) but could leave at any time. The ground was a mulch that was very light and allowed her to scratch down about 6 inches and then she would cluck them into the bottom of the hole for food and continue to scratch and they couldn’t get away. I moved her into a small run that is 4’x16’. How often do you think would be normal for a baby to get trampled under foot from her scratching? My other two mamas trampled a baby scratching very rarely.