My broody hen killed her first two chicks. Why? Need help with wounded

[dieselgrl48]

Sadly some hen's on their first clutch of egg's will kill them.Just like rabbit's.I had a young rabbit kill everyone of 5 of her first babie's.I was so irrate with her to see sadly a graphic pic of a baby with NO leg's.And the baby was still alive when I go to it.Im over that now but nature has some weird stuff sometime's.She raised Alll of her 2nd 4 very well.If you are lucky enough to intervien and save one that's great.Maybe next round the hen will do better and just keep a check for newbie's and take them Immediatley if you can.It sound's like she has issue's and not ready to take any of the chick's in yet.

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

the triple antibiotic could be bad, make sure there is no "caines" in it, they are harmful to chickens.

 

[chickendude]

Thanks tigerlillllllly the ingredients are bacitracin zinc, neomycin, polymyxin b sulfate. i didn't see any cains on the label. But when I first read your post I got scared because I already put some on it. But I think it will be okay to use.

 

[math ace]

I just went through this with my hen who went broody for the first time. She was sitting on 4 eggs.

Day 1 - - - I think she accidently stepped on the first chick and killed it.

Day 2 - - - The next day - - another chick hatched and she killed it. We came to check on her when we heard non-stop squawking. She squawked until we removed the dead body.

Day 3 - nothing hatched.

Day 4 - - we had to leave for the day and came back to live chick and mom doing just fine.

Day 5 - - Mom still sitting on egg - - nothing hatching - - baby doing fine

Day 6 - - - Mom still sitting on egg - - nothing hatching - - baby eating and drinking just fine

Day 7 - - - Mom still sitting on egg - - nothing hatching - - baby doing fine.

I guess tomorrow I will have to toss the last egg.

 

[chickendude]

Math ace your story is very close to mine. My hen is still sitting on the last egg #4. I'll give it a few more days to hatch. hopefully it will hatch.

 

[chickendude]

The last egg hatched yesterday! I'm very happy to have 2 survivors.

 

[Farm girl 1465]

I am having a similar experience...My 1 year old Buff Brahama went broody, she sat on the nest for a little over 3 weeks we went to the Co -Op and got 4-- day old chicks, kept them in the brooder with food and water for several hours, then at 11 pm we slipped the babies under mama. Next morning all was well very happy family, by mid day the chicks were restless and the nest box was up off the ground in the main coop. So we moved the little family to an isolated area with plenty of room and food and water. All was well for about 3 days then the smallest chick has a pasty butt so we took her out and cleaned her up, probably should have kept her in the brooder overnight but she was chirpping like crazy so we slipped her under mama-- next morning she was dead looks like mama rejected her, I assume after we handled her so much. Mama and three remaining chicks have been doing well eating drinking scratching etc. But went out this morning and only counted 2 chicks, after searching and moving hay around found one baby dead in the dirt and hay????? I don't know what is going on? Why would the mama kill it after so many days. My other hens do not have acess to this group so it has to be the Buff who killed it. I plan to watch them closely today, do I trust her to raise the remaining 2 chicks?