grandma chicien
Hatching
- Apr 25, 2015
- 2
- 0
- 7
Hi We have been successfully rearing chicks with broody hens for several years. This year one of our last years chicks went broody in March. She has successfully hatched and raised 6 chicks they will be 5 weeks old tomorrow/Monday. She was kept in a separate pen but in sight of the rest of the flock for the first 3 weeks ish. Over the last week and a bit we have been integrating them wiht the rest of the flock for an hour or so on an evening when they are all quite calm, by letting her out with them to free range on our allotment. She has been a brilliant Mum, teaching them feeding them etc, she has been fine out with the flock, one or two spats with lower ranking hens but nothing serious. The rest of the flock have accepted the chicks - having the odd peck occasionally if they got in the way. The last 3 days Mum has started laying again so we expected her to start moving away from the chicks more and more, which she has done, but still clucking them to her every so often.
Yesterday though she was squawking for ages rather than clucking them, and I noticed she was pecking at one of the chicks. This carried on when we put them back in their pen for the night. So I removed the chick until she settled down. She let the chick go under her and was calm. This morning when my husband when to let them out she was again attacking this one chick, to the point of actually picking it up and throwing it. He let them all out so as to give the little on more space away from her. I have been back up a couple of times and the chick is ok, it does seem a little skinny so wondering id it hasn't feed properly yesterday. But she will not let it anywhere near her, she is happy to have the other 5 around but not this one. When she is off wandering alone the chick goes back to the rest of the chicks and they seem fine with it.
I was wondering if anyone can tell me why she would single this one chick out to attack after 5 weeks and what the best way of dealing with it - removing the one chick on its own or removing the Mum back into the main shed and leave all the chick together in the small pen. If so should we carry on letting the chicks out each day with the flock or give them another week or so for the one little one to get back to full strength.
Thank you for any advice you can give
Yesterday though she was squawking for ages rather than clucking them, and I noticed she was pecking at one of the chicks. This carried on when we put them back in their pen for the night. So I removed the chick until she settled down. She let the chick go under her and was calm. This morning when my husband when to let them out she was again attacking this one chick, to the point of actually picking it up and throwing it. He let them all out so as to give the little on more space away from her. I have been back up a couple of times and the chick is ok, it does seem a little skinny so wondering id it hasn't feed properly yesterday. But she will not let it anywhere near her, she is happy to have the other 5 around but not this one. When she is off wandering alone the chick goes back to the rest of the chicks and they seem fine with it.
I was wondering if anyone can tell me why she would single this one chick out to attack after 5 weeks and what the best way of dealing with it - removing the one chick on its own or removing the Mum back into the main shed and leave all the chick together in the small pen. If so should we carry on letting the chicks out each day with the flock or give them another week or so for the one little one to get back to full strength.
Thank you for any advice you can give
and Welcome To BYC! Have you checked over the chick very carefully that there is not something else wrong with it, does it eat and drink and act normally if it has the chance? Otherwise X2 It sounds like she is trying to wean them and just not being very nice about it, some hens do get pretty nasty with chicks that won't stay away when they have had enough, they do sometimes pick one or more chicks to start with also, often it is the most dominant chick in the hatch they try to drive away first. I'd take mom out if she is being that nasty and leave the chicks in the pen for a few more weeks, just leave them out to free range part of the time with the rest of the flock should keep them integrated enough move them in there.
