OCD Guinea Hen

[Chick-herdess]

I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this with their own guinea hen. I just hatched five keets under my silkie hen two weeks ago. The guinea hen has ignored the chicks that I hatched under a hen last year, but now she is utterly obsessed with these keets. She paces up and down outside of their cage clucking to them. The silkie and keets got out of their cage once and it was worth my life trying to touch them to get them back in their cage; the guinea hen puffed up her feathers and flew in my face! If I hadn't ducked my head I probably wouldn't have an eye right now, but she did scratch my face with her beak and I have to have another person guard my back with a broom when I give them food and water. What is up with my hen??

 

[PeepsCA]

Sounds like her maternal instinct kicked in full force and she wants her babies back (personally I'd leave them with the Silkie tho!). She may attack the Silkie if she gets the chance, trying to steal the keets away... but then again she may choose to play the nanny role and share the babies, Hard to say... every Hen is unique with her own set of personality quirks