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Kathy Williams

In the Brooder
Joined
Apr 27, 2020
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Hello everyone, I’m new to BYC but have been a reader for a while, I have been raising chickens and Guinness for almost a year now and love it. We have one rooster and nine hens. One hen has 3 chicks that we are not sure if they are even a week old yet. We call our home our little farm or zoo, because we have cats and dogs and was surprised they all get along and cat have not harmed my chicks. Not sure what kind we have other than most are Easter eggers. Have a question if anyone can help, will the mother hen harm her chics? This evening when I got home and went to check food and water, she attacked me, and then one of her chicks. Was it because of me or do I need to remove the chick or chicks?
 
Nice to meet you Kathy. I know mother hen's can be very necessary in educating chicks, in what to eat, what to drink what to do if they hear a chicken alerting to danger. But because I tend to lean toward an abundance of caution - if I saw the hen repeating her action with the same and/or others chicks. I would remove them and raise without her.

Just as with some human mothers, not all are good/loving mothers.
 
DobieLover said:
Hello, Kathy, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
It's not unheard of but it's not typical. Perhaps she was scolding the chick because it didn't listen to her.
How is she with it now?
Click to expand...
Well when I left her it was under her with the other chicks.
DobieLover said:
Hello, Kathy, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
It's not unheard of but it's not typical. Perhaps she was scolding the chick because it didn't listen to her.
How is she with it now?
Click to expand...
when I left her the chick was up under her with the other 2 chicks.
 
Hello, Kathy, and welcome to BYC. I would guess she was agitated by your presence and the movement of the chick inspired her to strike out. When working around her and the chicks move slowly and talk softly to her so that she does not have to become protective.
 
sourland said:
Hello, Kathy, and welcome to BYC. I would guess she was agitated by your presence and the movement of the chick inspired her to strike out. When working around her and the chicks move slowly and talk softly to her so that she does not have to become protective.
Click to expand...
I’m afraid to even go into the pen now. I really don’t want her to harm them.
 

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