New mother hen behavior???

[chickyboomboom]

Hello! I had a girl go broody on me over 3 weeks ago, so late last night we put 4 baby chicks under her. She layed on them all night and seemed to be doing a decent job keeping them warm.

My question now is, how is a mother hen supposed to behave? I am not sure if she's a good mommy or not. She will leave them behind to go dirt bath and poo when I open the pen. She runs out and abandones them! But she still does her broody calls. Today I thought she was going to go back to her babies after her outing, but she went into the coop and upper nest box instead. So I'm totally confused! I took her down and locked her in the pen with the babies. She pecked at them and got them all together in the corner. I thought she was going to sit on them, but instead she sat in front of the pen away from the chicks....

Is she going to lay an egg?? It's been several weeks since she last layed as far as I know.

Also, how long can a mother leave her babies before I should worry? I really didn't want to hand raise these chicks. It's been in the mid 60s here so not too terribly cold, but not warm either.

Any advice would be so much appreciated. I don't want the babies to suffer or die, but I'm not sure if their adoption mom is doing her job! I thought it would be easy to "let nature take its course" but I'm a basketcase!

 

[GuppyTJ]

My hens have hatched several clutches of chicks and I now have a broody sitting on 11 eggs (one broke) which will hopefully hatch in about a week. I always leave my mother to hatch her chicks in a nest and in the coop that is right with the rest of the flock. In other words, I don't segregate the broody and her chicks ever. The mother hen has always sheltered her chicks and the other hens and my rooster do not bother them. The mother hen mostly spends time with the chicks close to the coop for the first several weeks while the rest of the flock does their normal routine. I should add that I free range (no fence, no run, just a secure coop at night). So, everyone has as much space as they want to go and do as they please. If one of the other hens gets too close to the mother's new babies, she promptly chases the other hen off. But there is no real drama and I've never had any issues.

The big advantage of leaving the mother and her chicks all together with the rest of the flock is there are no re-introduction and integration challenges later. This is also more natural and normal for everyone as well. Also, for me, clean up and monitoring the entire flock in one coop is easier too.

To the point about how the new-born chicks get out of the nest box with the mother, my nest box is raised about a foot off the ground. A day or so before the chicks are due to hatch, I am able to lower that nest box so it's sitting on the ground. Then, I build a little hay pile in front of the next box lip so the chicks don't have to jump/fly to the ground. If I'm around as the last eggs hatch and mother and babies leave the nest, I just make sure all the babies got out. Then... mom does ALL the rest! I put out chick food in a little feeder and little chick waterer but the mom does all the real work. I think a mother hen is loads of fun to watch and I've had really great mother hens and some not as good. The not as good ones sort of are just more rough with the chicks, stepping on them once in a while, mostly. But never has the mothers not covered their chicks or pecked them. They have all been good moms, some more nurturing and patient then others.

I hope this is helpful,
Guppy

 

[GuppyTJ]

Just an update... my broody hen, Willow, just finished hatching 9 healthy chicks. Everyone is doing very well, mother and babies got out of the nest fine with no help from me. The other hens are not bothering them. The rooster, Rio, acknowledged the mother hen and her new babies (all his children, good work, Rio!), then went about his business as usual. Willow showed her chicks where the food and water was, showed them how to eat and drink, covered them up, led them around, did all the proper mother hen things. Willow and her chicks are right now, nesting in the corner of the coop, all covered and sleeping soundly.

I've found that the less I interfere, the better my flock does. For example, I do not throw my broody hen off her nest once a day, as others do. I don't separate the broody hen from the rest of the flock. She just sets on her eggs right in the coop and hatches them in the coop and raises the chicks right there. This seems to work best for me, at least. They seem to know what they're doing pretty well.

Guppy

 

[chickyboomboom]

me again, okay, so went to check again and "mother hen" is pecking at the chicks. Do mother hens do this? Is this a normal behavior just to get them in line? I'm so freaked out!

She pecked at them and put them all in the corner, then went to lay down away from them. It's starting to get dark so we put the babies under her again... seemed to be okay, but we'll check again soon. It's starting to get cold. I so didn't want to hand raise the babies. I wanted my broody to do it, hoping it would also be easier to integrate the new girls into the flock...but I'm starting to think she's a mean mommy. I have to work tomorrow so I won't be able to watch them. I'm so worried I'll come home to dead chicks.

 

[AZ_HenHouse]

Someone with more experience might be more helpful, but I don't thik she has bonded with them. Sounds like you are going to have to raise them.
My broody only pecked at the ones that she did not accept (granted I put them under her several days after hers hatched). I would be ready with a back up plan if she continues to act as if she does not want them.
I put 2 chicks under her one night and she was fine all night but in the morning she moved her babies and left the new one. Then pecked at it when she noticed it. She still tries to go after them if she sees them out with me, although it is getting less and less as they get older.

Good luck

 

[Chemguy]

I've only been through this situation once, and the mother took to the babies. She did not peck them, and if she left the coop to take care of business she went right back in. While I could understand the choice of a different nest, it's the pecking that has me thinking she is not willing to continue raising the chicks, or is at least 'thinking' about moving on. Others with more experience will perhaps be able to provide better insight.

 

[CorinneP]

I Do Not believe she has accepted them or wants to mother them . I Don't think I would leave them, I Have a broody Hen with Chicks right now one that she adopted I tried two introduce two nearly identical chicks to her at the same time one she took right in the other she pecked and would not allow near her I had to remove it immediately. When They have accepted The chicks they curl right up with them the chicks will sit on her back and or crawl right under her .. You can watch momma lift a wing and they will run right under and cuddle up. When its cold she will shew them all together and then offer them the warmth of her body .. I am in NY so I also still have a heating lamp on one end of their special area, and I have noticed on a beautiful hot day she lets them run and is up and about more.. cold and rainy they will all be huddled with her. This same Hen after Hatching some chicks seemed to know something was wrong with one while carrying beautifully for two others she rolled this freshly Hatched limp chick out to a cold area.. I happened to see it with in minutes so I rushed it in the house gave it some TLC over night where the Chick bounced back. I reintroduced them in the early morning and she took the baby right back in : ) I think once you see how loving and attentive they usually are you would be able to spot when they aren't being Maternal enough ..

 

[wowmanacat]

I am so glad to have found this post. I have two broody hens, but only one is on eggs since the other one keeps leaving the eggs. Some should be hatching Wednesday, I am hoping that I will be able to put some of them under the hen that is not setting on any eggs but am not sure if that will work. Something else I am worried about is some of the nest boxes are off the ground a bit.
I do not have a place to put just the momma with the new babies so they are all in the same coop as the rest of my hens. I really was not ready for broody hens are the fact that I had 31 eggs hatch out of 48, plus the fact that I am moving in around 30 days.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree it sounds like they have not bonded. I think you are stuck raising them yourself. I've never had that happen. Sorry!

A hen will occasionally peck her chick to help keep it in line, kind of a discipline peck. But it is not a vicious hard trying-to-kill peck. It can be a little hard to tell the difference, but I guess I'd look at if she repeats the pecking a lot. It's not just the pecking that makes me think they have not bonded. It's her not covering them.

 

[chickyboomboom]

oh so sad, I think you are all right! Woe is me, my plan backfired! And now that I know that Madison is a bad mommy, and a crazy broody, it might be time to put her up on craigslist. She has disrupted the whole flock! And since she's been broody, the other girls pick on her now, so she now has no allies. At least the kids will be happy that we'll have the chicks in the house. Not me though! More work for me! Thanks so much for all the helpful info. I have heard that seeing a good mommy with her babies was a beautiful thing to see. I haven't been seeing a warm caring mother. She seems more annoyed!