Psychotic Mother Hen? Help!

[threehens505]

I'm a relatively new chicken keeper and have only three hens. One went broody this summer (no rooster). After research, I decided to get her two day-old chicks because she rarely left the nest. She took to the chicks just fine.

However, now, days after the "adoption" all the hen dis was obsessively scratch at the dirt and eat little bits although there was no food there. She was not eating the food in her dish. The chicks were eating their scratch but also spend a lot of time digging around with her. It's like she's digging to China -- holes so deep that they are going under the coop. Fortunately, she is caring for the chicks and not pecking at them. I removed her from the outside coop and put the three of them in a small enclosed room with food, water, and straw. Now she scratches the straw all day and her food is still untouched. The chicks seem fine but she is clucking, puffy (probably lost weight) and constantly scratching.

What is this and how can I stop it??? Thanks for any advice --

 

[Judy]

It's their instinct to forage, to search for seeds, bugs, worms, etc. Chickens really do best if they have some grass, weeds or woods to forage in, especially while mama is teaching the kids how to find food.

 

[cafarmgirl]

X2. She just wants to take them out and teach them to forage. If you have a grassy/weedy area where you can let them out or pen them that will give them plenty to do.

 

[threehens505]

Ok. I guess that makes sense. I do let the bigger hens forage but the chicks could easily slip through fences. And I thought they were supposed to be eating their chick food? If mother hen was still eating her pellets I wouldn't be so worried, but she doesn't seem to be eating anything at all. Today I scattered some scratch, meal worms and pellets in the straw. Maybe she will eat that? And if I can devise a portable enclosure, I can take them to an area with more weeds, I guess (no grass). I never expected any of this so it's a little baffling. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Womack Farms]

I have a rooster with a hock joint issue.. please help

 

[abserbean]

Ok. I guess that makes sense. I do let the bigger hens forage but the chicks could easily slip through fences. And I thought they were supposed to be eating their chick food? If mother hen was still eating her pellets I wouldn't be so worried, but she doesn't seem to be eating anything at all. Today I scattered some scratch, meal worms and pellets in the straw. Maybe she will eat that? And if I can devise a portable enclosure, I can take them to an area with more weeds, I guess (no grass). I never expected any of this so it's a little baffling. Thanks for the advice.

Crumble up some boiled egg for them if they aren't eating the chick starter. Scratch/meal worms are good treats, but not complete nutrition. Also try yogurt,plain, full fat, with mom and chicks. My broody loves it, it helps put weight back on, and the chicks are adorable with their yogurt faces! Hopefully she gets the hang of it soon. My broody mom digs more that usual also, but she does stop at the feeder and get the chicks to eat.

 

[threehens505]

Thank you, I will try the eggs. The chicks are thankfully eating on their own (I kept them in a brooder for 1/2 day before the adoption to make sure they knew to eat from that feeder). I hope the mom will go for the boiled eggs and yogurt. She was eating some of their chick food but I guess she's not supposed to because it's medicated?

 

[abserbean]

Chick food is okay, some people say no medicated for adult hens, but the level of amprocillin (sp) is pretty low. You don't want her on layer feed right now, the calcium level is too high for a hen that isn't laying. So either chick starter or flock raiser, but not layer until the chicks are about five to six weeks old and she starts to "wean" them and lay again.