Please help. Broody hen attacked chick

[Chezwilli]

This is my first time doing this but the first egg has just hatched and the mother Helen has attacked the chick trying to kill it she has managed to skin the down off its head! Should I leave her with the other eggs or should I take them away from her now I have no idea?

 

[Chezwilli]

This is my first time doing this but the first egg has just hatched and the mother Helen has attacked the chick trying to kill it she has managed to skin the down off its head! Should I leave her with the other eggs or should I take them away from her now I have no idea?

Its a mixed batch of eggs I bought online

 

[Matilda Belle]

I would take them away and put them in an incubator. Some hens just aren't good mothers.

 

[Kloie Grace]

Firstly, You should put them in a incubator, but if you cant,
Do you have ANY other broody hens?
If not, someone WILL have to sit out there, and grab the chick(s) (gently) and bring her inside. Put her in a box, with tall walls and plenty of stuffing. Offer her some water and food. Put up a heat lamp, and make sure that it is at the correct temp. Thats all I can say!

 

[Chezwilli]

Thanks Matilda Belle
I don't have an incubator and unfortunately none of the other hens are broody. My husband has run out and got a heat bulb and attached it to the brooder nest box we had ready to move them into once they've hatched (she's brooded in the main coop). We've put the injured chick in the brooder box with the heat lamp, hopefully that will do. She's sitting on the eggs ok, so just keep checking on her to see what happens. The injured chick is visibly damaged and unable to stand otherwise I'd try to reintroduce it tonight, but I think it'll have to be hand reared if it survives, I'm not confident it will, any advise?

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

I had a hen do the same. I let her have 4 eggs. As they started hatching she pecked them to death. By the time I got home from work that morning to check on her she had gotten 3 of the 4 chicks. The last one wasnt fully hatched so I brought him inside to hatch. Then went and got him 6 friends. Beautiful australorp/rir mix. Just lost him to a fox 2 weeks ago. I will not ever let a hen brood again. Don't want to change having it happen twice. And I won't hatch eggs vecause with my luck they would all be roos and I have 4 now. 2 rir and 2 bantam

 

[Matilda Belle]

Thanks Matilda Belle
I don't have an incubator and unfortunately none of the other hens are broody. My husband has run out and got a heat bulb and attached it to the brooder nest box we had ready to move them into once they've hatched (she's brooded in the main coop). We've put the injured chick in the brooder box with the heat lamp, hopefully that will do. She's sitting on the eggs ok, so just keep checking on her to see what happens. The injured chick is visibly damaged and unable to stand otherwise I'd try to reintroduce it tonight, but I think it'll have to be hand reared if it survives, I'm not confident it will, any advise?

Sounds like you're doing everything you can. If you don't have access to an incubator, keep the eggs under the hen, and pull out the chicks as they hatch. Honestly, if she's hurting her chicks, I wouldn't trust to reintroduce them to her.

 

[Chezwilli]

Thanks again, that’s what I thought, but I’m new to this. I’ve a feeling I’m going to be hand rearing, as long as I can get the rest hatched safely!

 

[TheMother]

Thanks again, that’s what I thought, but I’m new to this. I’ve a feeling I’m going to be hand rearing, as long as I can get the rest hatched safely!

What a bummer your broody is not so motherly! Please post an update when you get a chance. I'm curious as to whether her broodiness will break, if you decide to separate the rest of the hatching chicks

 

[Chezwilli]

Well that was a long night. Decided to bring broody and remaining eggs in to the house to keep an eye on them last night . When we lifted her she noticed another chick and went for it too! Decided to leave her out in the coop and put the eggs and chicks under a heat lamp in the house in case she managed to get any more chicks as I dozed. Have been spraying box/eggs with a mist of water to try to provide some humidity. Not sure if I’ve done the right thing...any opinions?