Mean hen pecking chick

[Kayla's Lunch]

I had a hen go broody, gave her 4 chicks, she raised them for awhile, now all of a sudden seems to hate them. They are about 6 weeks old. One chick has died from its wounds being pecked. I am thinking of putting the hen in a crate in the run and only letting her out when they free range. Would that help any? I read something about putting "bully" hens in a separate place where they can't see the other chickens. In my case, she would still see everyone. Would that still help?

 

[sourland]

She is trying to wean the chicks. Now is the time to separate her from the chicks if they are in a confined area. Return her to the flock.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

They have been with the flock for the last couple of weeks. After a week they started mingling with the flock a little until it was full time. It seems only mom has a problem with the chicks. I saw her go out of her way to chase one of the chicks.

 

[aart]

Are the chicks running away when she pecks them?
Set up a space where the chicks can be safe and the larger birds can't get in with them.
A piece of lattice can work well for this.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

They have a crate that is set up so that the big chickens can't get in. They have food and water in there. It is up against the outer Hardware cloth "wall" of the run and forms a tunnel that they use to run in. So, they have escapes.

 

[FlyAnywayAJ]

We keep all our tiny chicks in a separate pen within the chickens pen for a while. It's basically just chicken wire and 4 steaks which deters the bigger birds. This keeps them protected from the bigger birds and keeps their food and water separate also. As an added bonus we also use it to separate birds people are coming to buy so when they arrive they're easy to catch but they don't get anxious being separated for longer than necessary