Mother hen killing her babies

[baGAWK123]

Hi - My hen has been a great broody and hatched out a few eggs a couple days ago. Yesterday I walked out to the coop and found one of the newly hatched chicks bloody with it's neck disconnected from its body. My first thought was that the rooster had done it, so today I separated the rooster so that he couldn't hurt the other chicks. Well, today I heard a lot of commotion from the coop and once I got to the coop I saw that the mother hen was attacking her baby! Once I grabbed the chick (that was barely breathing) , she went over to the nesting box and started stomping and pecking and the remaining eggs! I don't know why she did this when she was an excellent broody.

My question is: Some of the eggs are still peeping, how should I keep them alive?


Thank you!!!

 

[chickadoodles]

Hi baGAWK123, I am a newbie with chickens.... But if it were me, I would get a brooder box ready and if any more chicks hatch put them in the brooder and raise them. Good luck!

 

[baGAWK123]

Thank you for your reply. Yup, I have the baby that was attacked in the brooder. But the eggs that she stomped on were in mid hatch process, and now they are bloody and some aren't breathing. So maybe I'll get an incubator...?

 

[chickadoodles]

If she stomped them and they were bloody? I don't know if I would go get a bator. Candle the remaining eggs to see if there is any movement. You should be able to use a bright flashlight. If the eggs were already hatching and there is movement then you could use a makeshift hen to keep the eggs warm since they should have hatched already? But you should look on the hatching eggs forum for more info on this as I am a newbie and have not hatched any eggs! Sorry!

 

[A Chicken Owner]

I was reading another post and there was a leghorn who killed her chicks a few seconds after they hatched. I have no idea why any hen would do that.

 

[A Chicken Owner]

What breed is she?

 

[centrarchid]

All reads like a hen that is bothered too much causing her stress. Next round give her more space and interact with her only a few feet or more from nest. Also, what have you been feeding her?