Ninja Hen

[Blw18]

This morning I got up for work and heard the flock raising cane and the “hawk alert” sound from the roosters. I ran outside and saw that all the chickens had taken cover except one naked neck hen with two babies that had gotten separated from her. A Cooper’s hawk swooped in from one of the trees above and grabbed one of the chicks. When he got about 3 feet in the air with the chick, the hen flew into him and knocked it down. The chick fell and ran into the weeds and the mama proceeded to whooping up on the hawk and sent him flying as fast as he could away from the chicken yard. She never hesitated to defend that chick. I am going to raise some chicks off of her to add to my flock and hopefully keep that trait!! My question is, do hens do this often or is she just special? She’s very old, I think she was born in 2014.

 

[orloffer]

That is wonderful how your "ninja hen" saved her chicks! She is a good mother!
I have heard of hens defending their chicks against aerial predators. I am not sure how common of an occurrence it is for them to actually be successful, though.

 

[neo71665]

Momma animals will often put their lives on the line to save their offspring. A good rooster will also sacrifice their self for their flock.