Picking on Mama

[JuieCosta]

I have 10 hens and 1 roo. About 5 weeks ago, my hen named Rose began sitting on a clutch and was rewarded with 2 chicks about a week ago. I put the new family in the chicken run with a dog-carrier to serve as temporary housing. They are separated from the main coop and its enclosure. Yesterday, I decided to observe what would happen if I allowed the entire flock to mingle with Rose and chicks. One hen immediately ran over and attacked Rose. I had to pull them apart (earning some claw marks on my legs from the roo). Does anyone know why the other hens feel like being so aggressive toward Rose and how long will I have to keep her little family separate?

 

[Judy]

I've always let my broodies raise their chicks in with the flock. The mamas protected their chicks from other hens; the roo would ignore everyone or help the mama. Maybe the roo was protecting the mama from you, in his little pea brain, anyway. If you have one who is particularly aggressive, you could remove her from the flock for a week or so, out of sight, then return her. She should then be at the bottom of the pecking order.

 

[Mrs. K]

if you want to have the broody hen raise the chicks in the flock, you have to leave her there. I only separate my layers out of the coop for about 12 hours, until everything has hatched that is going to hatch. The vunerable time in my opinion is when the first chicks have dried off and get adventurous, and leave the nest, and mama is not quite ready to leave the chicks still hatching. But once everyone has dried off, the broody hen generally leaves her nest, and creates a new nest on on the floor of the coop with the live chicks.

By leaving the broody hen with the flock, she remains part of the flock and rather high on the pecking order, cause mine are crabbier than a bear, and the layers tiptoe in, and try not to upset her. So once she gets them hatched, her hormones are running high, she is highly defensive of the new chicks, and the new chicks instinctively remain rather close to her. If one strays off, a layer reminds them where they belong, mama comes running to the rescue, and order prevails. The chicks quickly learn to keep out of the way of the layers with mama between them, as the hormones decrease, and the chicks get bigger, the layers are used to them, and while will still give a peck, are fairly accepting.

When you separate the hen from the flock, she loses her pecking order place, and when you wait for a couple of weeks she is like a new bird being added. Now her hormones have started to fade, and now she must protect her own interests and try and find her place in the flock again, generally leaving the chicks to fend for themselves.

You will probably have to finish raising the chicks yourself, or leave Rose separate with the chicks and reintroduce them all when the chicks are nearly full size.

Mrs K

 

[donrae]

I agree, Rose has been gone long enough they're going to test her to see where she ranks in the flock. Depending on your set up, you can put them in visual range, sharing a fence, but you're still going to have to re-introduce her sometime. You can keep her separate until the babies are "weaned", then put the babies in a grow out pen until they're old enough to join. Or keep momma and babies separate until 4 months or so and put them all in together.

 

[JuieCosta]

Thank you for all the responses. I will try to reintroduce the little family to the flock tomorrow. Since they have remained in sight of the flock, perhaps they will be able to work it out for themselves. If it looks like it is going badly, I will try another suggestion.