Pecking the chicks

[Jilara]

We gave some babies to one of our hens who was broody a long time, and things were great for a while. But now she's started bullying two of the chicks, enough that one of them, the little easter egger, has been having to hide from "mama" or she gets badly pecked and chased. She is a wheaten, and the other one who gets pecked is a black and white Polish. The hen is black with white speckles, like an Ancona (she's a rescued feral chick, herself, so probably has mixed blood). These two don't match her. Could this be part of it?

It has gotten bad enough that we decided to separate her from the chicks, who are now almost six weeks old. She's back in with the other two older hens, but now is getting bullied, herself. Sigh, this pecking order just never stops. She's also aggitated, because she knows she's been separated from "her" chicks, but we really don't have any other place to separate the two chicks who are being pecked at. She also now fights violently with one of the other hens.

Any thoughts or advice? I'm assuming putting her back with the chicks, now that she's been away for 24 hours is a bad idea. Chickens don't have the greatest memories, I know, and her behavior was already extreme.

PS, I know this could go into the chicken behaviors section, but what worries me is that her behavior is so extreme that I worried about serious injury to the chicks. It's like this hen has gone insane. Do chickens get mental disorders?

 

[Judy]

I imagine you didn't get an answer because no one can really predict how things will come out. Then hen may just have to endure the re-establishing of the pecking order, if she safely can. Every flock is different.

If you can identify one individual who is attacking, you can separate that one, then return it in a few days, which will shift it to the bottom of the pecking order. This is what has happened to your hen that was raising chicks.

We just do the best we can, and try to leave it alone unless they draw blood.

I let my broody raise chicks with the flock because I don't want to go through the reintegration hassle. It will probably cost me some chicks one day, but so far, so good.

 

[Msbear]

At 6 wks, your hen has done her job and is ready to become apart of the flock again. Your chicks (which are now juveniles...no longer chicks)

will be fine if they have a place to hide until they get bigger and can climb that ladder themselves when they are ready to start doing the pecking.