NEED ADVISE on Chicks and Broody Mom

[theblondeangler]

I need some input. I have a broody hen with (her babies) about two weeks old in one brooder in our basement. She's a very good mom to her babies and teaching them the ropes. I have another brooder with about 30 day old chicks that we hatched from our incubator. The Mother Hen in the other brooder keeps jumping over and aggressively pecking the other chicks (the ones that are not hers.) I had to put up a screen to prevent her from jumping in there with them. I was worried that this was a defense mechanism to protect her own babies. Or maybe she's just concerned and wants to Mother all of them? I'm not sure. Debating on moving the other brooder away from her but now I'm nervous if I leave them unattended she will try and harm them. Any advise here would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[Phoenixheart14]

I would move the chicks so she cannot access them. She most likely is trying to defend her own chicks, so with the other ones their it adds an element of stress to everyone.

 

[featheredplanets]

She is defending her babies and is very capable of killing the chicks. Why is she in the basement? I’d put some mesh over their cage so she can’t get to them.

 

[theblondeangler]

She is defending her babies and is very capable of killing the chicks. Why is she in the basement? I’d put some mesh over their cage so she can’t get to them.

She's in the basement because she was broody in the coop and I was worried for the chicks' well being when they hatched. We have 40 other chickens in the coop and I didn't want to run the risk of injury or death with the unhatched eggs or chicks when they hatched. She's in the basement until the weather is above freezing here in CT. We've also had an exceptional amount of snowfall recently.

 

[TeeMom]

Just my 2 cents....I would move her out with the rest of the flock. Since she's already been separated, you will need to move the brooder out to the coop to reintroduce her, but after a few days let them all out when you have the distraction of treats or something for the rest of the flock and see how they do. The beauty of allowing a broody to raise chicks is that she does all the work...she keeps the chicks warm when it's freezing, she keeps the rest of the flock in line when they are near her brood and she shows them to food and water. My broody hens are always separated to a pen within the coop while they are setting on eggs just to keep other hens from laying in her nest or risk her moving to another nest, but once the chicks hatch I let them out to join the rest of the flock with access to their pen to retreat to if necessary, but the transition has always been perfectly smooth and a broody momma isn't messed with! You're making this harder than it needs to be!

 

[theblondeangler]

Just my 2 cents....I would move her out with the rest of the flock. Since she's already been separated, you will need to move the brooder out to the coop to reintroduce her, but after a few days let them all out when you have the distraction of treats or something for the rest of the flock and see how they do. The beauty of allowing a broody to raise chicks is that she does all the work...she keeps the chicks warm when it's freezing, she keeps the rest of the flock in line when they are near her brood and she shows them to food and water. My broody hens are always separated to a pen within the coop while they are setting on eggs just to keep other hens from laying in her nest or risk her moving to another nest, but once the chicks hatch I let them out to join the rest of the flock with access to their pen to retreat to if necessary, but the transition has always been perfectly smooth and a broody momma isn't messed with! You're making this harder than it needs to be!

I really don't have the set up for that outside. I'd have to switch the entire flock over to different feed, change the water height amongst other modifications. Just doesn't seem feasible at the moment. I'm going to put a cover of some kind over the other brooder so the mom doesn't get in.