Mother Hens rivalry effect chicks future?

[TheTwoRoos]

I currently let two broody hens hatch.Goibg into this I knew that the two hens hated each other,there was never a point where they got along.I tried emerging them together,not gonna happen.
It’s now gotten to the point where one hen won’t share a territory with the other mom,nor her chicks,she attempts to attack the chicks and mom.
The chicks want to be together and try playing each other but mother won’t allow it.I made plans to emerge the chicks once everyone’s been kicked out,and obviously will have a few boys,and am very worried about them being separated and at an almost war with the other hen and chicks,they may not get along in th near future.

Any ideas?

 

[RWise]

Ok what do you mean by "emerging them together"? And "plans to emerge the chicks"? Maybe I need more coffee, but I dont get this.
As far as the hens protecting their young they will, even from each other. Do they have plenty of room to get away from the other? Places to hide? Places to eat and drink?

 

[Ridgerunner]

How old are the chicks and how many are there? Can you give them all to one hen to raise and break the other from being broody? Is that hen really attacking those chicks to try to kill them or is she wanting to take all of them to raise herself? That happens a fair amount of time.

I like to let my broody hens raise the chicks with the flock so the hen takes care of integration for me. But sometimes that's not possible for some people. You may be in one of those situations. So build pens and keep the broodies separated until they wean their chicks and then re-integrate the hens and eventually integrate the chicks wit the flock. Or at least isolate the aggressive broody and her brood. I really doubt the chicks will learn to hate each other due to that hen.

In how big an area did you try to merge them? Did they have enough room to totally stay way away from each other or were they forced to interact? Lack of space is often a cause of behavioral issues but with the hormones raging broody hens can be unpredictable.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

The cage is split now,but I did sit them all the brooder.I then sat them all out to free range together just to see if maybe more space would help,but no.Atter about two days the most aggressive hen started attacking the other hens chicks,she does not want them.They do freer ange and intergrate with out flock.The other group of chicks which I s three are about 7 days,the aggressive broody has two chicks which are 12 and 11 days old.I was just worried about them being split flocks and then having issues trying to emerge them altogether when they have been weaned off.During the day most of the time the two chicks and mom are locked out the broody pen to free range.While the other then and her three sit in the broody pen and fiddle around.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It sounds like you are doing what you need to, keep them separated. Eventually you will have to integrate one batch of chicks. Often people have multiple broody hens hatch and raise chicks with the flock and it works great. But sometimes you have issues like these.

 

[lazy gardener]

Perhaps it's time to consider re-homing the trouble maker hen, after her chicks are weaned. or if you don't need the chicks, you could reh-ome her and her chicks.

 

[chickens really]

Hello..She is a very protective Momma. I never interfere and have raised Chicks with two different Hens with Chicks of different ages. I free range daily and Coop Everyone in the same Coop at night.
Don't give up introducing them all as it will settle down once they are comfortable together again..

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Mothers probably won’t ever get along,they haven’t since the meaner hen was a young pullet.
My concern was just getting the chicks intergrated.

 

[chickens really]

Mothers probably won’t ever get along,they haven’t since the meaner hen was a young pullet.
My concern was just getting the chicks intergrated.

They will once the Hens start letting them play together..The older they get the more the Mommas don't care so much..

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have had a very few that just did not get long no matter what you do or how much room they have. It's not on the integration topic but my philosophy is that any chicken that disrupts the peace and tranquility of my flock does not stay. It does not matter if the chicken is male or female. I've eaten more females for that reason than males but then I keep more females so that makes sense.