Peahens as a rescue mother of another peahen chicks....HELP!

[Corvin]

Will a peahen accept another peahens chicks after hatching? I ask this because a few days ago I lost a hen to a dog but got the chicks in time, can I put them with another hen without the hen killing the new chicks? Will she accept chicks from another hen in my brooder/barn without killing or pecking at peachicks?

When I go into the brooder she pecks at the chicks but when I leave they are ok, and she has had them under her at night, I just found this out this morning on my cameras I set up to watch them.....

 

[All4Eggz]

@casportpony is great with Peafowl, hopefully she is able to help you.

Good luck.

 

[KsKingBee]

Some hens will co-mother but not all will. I would assume that if she hasn't killed the chicks by now she will tolerate them and cover them at night.

 

[Corvin]

Some hens will co-mother but not all will. I would assume that if she hasn't killed the chicks by now she will tolerate them and cover them at night.

She does peck at them especially if I am in there, these are free ranged birds that I am trying to put into a brooder, I put down wood shavings instead of chips, didn't realize that until today, almost set the barn on fire with the shavings and the lamp in there being too low and started to smoke..... I am not doing well lol.... they are my hobby on top of me being a caretaker for my father, I just don't have the set up that I should and maybe just let them free range their chicks from now on.....not much income, and time to put into them like I want unfortunately but doing what I can.

 

[KsKingBee]

Again, if she hasn't killed them by now she isn't going to. If she lets them under her I think you will be fine. Unless you see the chicks under the lamp at night I would take it away. It is better for the chicks to push their way under her than to wander off to the lamp. I would also take away any roost so the hen does not abandon any of them on the ground at night. Are the chicks about the same age? By about a week of age the chicks can usually get up onto a low roost.

 

[Corvin]

both hers and the abandoned ones are less then a week old, she has let them under her for the past two nights but man, she pecks them hard.....I just got the lamp today in there, I was caught off guard and not ready fully, and thought she would take them as her own, but very reluctantly...

I will check to see if they get under her tonight or if they go to the lamp.....at this point I am thinking about kicking her out with her one just so I can raise the other three without her in there....cuz at this point they would know where to eat and drink right? .......no roosts untill they get much older to go into the upper part of the barn or maybe some chairs I have in the barn...I put chick saver in the water, grits in the chick starter food....BTW thank you so much for getting back to me in quick responses!

PS I live in colorado....nights are cold.....btw why would she attack the abandoned chicks if I was there?......

 

[Corvin]

UPDATE: she is rejecting the chicks and pecking even harder and this is night three....but they are running around, they look healthy, but they are at the heat lamp....I know you said to take it out but if she is not letting them under her then they could get chills and freeze....it does get down to low 50s to low 40s in the Rocky Mountains......

 

[KsKingBee]

I like your plan to let her have either one or both of hers and raise the others in the brooder. I don't have an answer about the pecking.

 

[Corvin]

I like your plan to let her have either one or both of hers and raise the others in the brooder. I don't have an answer about the pecking.

Thank you! I wish I knew why she would pecks them as much as she does. I think since they are free range instead of hand fed that my presence makes her nervous... which leads to the pecking maybe?,,,,,.so I will keep my contact to a minimum in and out of the barn...food, water, and that's it.

 

[Midnightman14]

She will probably peck the strange chicks to death. Pea moms don't handle strangers like chicken moms do. I wouldn't say they're quite as bad of parents as guinea hens but they're pretty bad.