Racist Hen?

[cluckingheck]

They might not be healthy and she knows this, that’s why she’s attacking them

keep in mind that addition to color, they can also see UV and I think healthy chicks will have a different look to them than sick ones. I’m not 100% where I read that at.

EDIT: here it is

Hens use their color vision to see which chicks are the healthiest. She uses her wavelengths of ultraviolet light to see the chicks’ feathers. If they have shiny feathers, this means that they are healthy and thus have a higher chance of survival.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/information-on-chicken-eyesight.67301/

 

[GuineaQueen]

They might not be healthy and she knows this, that’s why she’s attacking them

keep in mind that addition to color, they can also see UV and I think healthy chicks will have a different look to them than sick ones. I’m not 100% where I read that at

Thats interesting ive never heard that about the UV! But being sick has def crossed my mind, maybe something I cant see.

 

[GuineaQueen]

They might not be healthy and she knows this, that’s why she’s attacking them

keep in mind that addition to color, they can also see UV and I think healthy chicks will have a different look to them than sick ones. I’m not 100% where I read that at.

EDIT: here it is

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/information-on-chicken-eyesight.67301/

Oh wow that is so neat! Thank you for the link I will definitely read up on that.

 

[sdm111]

I have a Lavender Orphington Hen that faithfully sat her eggs, hatched a few and was happily taking care of the babies for 4 days when the neighbors dog broke into the coop and got all her babies. I rushed and found someone selling babies that were 3 days old picked them up and gave them to her. She was thrilled!! Her first babies were one red and 3 black. The new ones are all white Silkies. She was very happy with both. However I bought also bought chicks online and some of them were brown. My hen hates the brown ones! On 3 different occasions she has snuck into the hatchery chicks pen and managed to kill 2 and badly injure 1. She doesnt mind any of the other hatchery babies but the brown ones she cannot stand! In 20 years of keeping chickens I've never seen such a thing, has anyone else ever have anything like this happen?

Definitely racist
You may want to think about making the little brown ones a safespace

 

[gtaus]

I would suspect your hen is sensing something about those chicks that she does not like. I'm not sure I would be too fast to call it racist, because I don't think chickens react that way. But I would put the chicks somewhere safe from her in any case.

 

[GuineaQueen]

I have a totally separated chick pen in the coop that is surrounded with hardwire mesh for safety from everything, that is where the hatchery chicks live. This hen just made it a point to force her way into the chick pen if its opened and she is quick to go after the little partridge cochins before you can grab her.

It even crossed my mind that it was the fuzzies on their feet and legs that got her attention. But her silkies have fuzzies and she took them gratefully Btw this started before she lost her first babies, thats why she wasnt in the safe place with all the other chicks. She now has her own pen and house newly built just for her and her babies.

 

[ladybrasa]

Being “racist” is only a human construct.

Chickens are able to see more color than even humans. A broody hen can see if there are chicks that are not her chicks and some broodies will attack any chick she doesn’t identify as hers. Sometimes you can fool a broody into accepting chicks of similar coloring. Some broodies accept all chicks regardless. Some broodies will even reject their own chicks they hatched but might be a couple days behind the other chicks. This hen might be sensing something wrong with the brown chicks, but she might also have identified them as not hers and therefore a threat to her babies and their resources.

 

[sourland]

Being “racist” is only a human construct.

Chickens are able to see more color than even humans. A broody hen can see if there are chicks that are not her chicks and some broodies will attack any chick she doesn’t identify as hers. Sometimes you can fool a broody into accepting chicks of similar coloring. Some broodies accept all chicks regardless. Some broodies will even reject their own chicks they hatched but might be a couple days behind the other chicks. This hen might be sensing something wrong with the brown chicks, but she might also have identified them as not hers and therefore a threat to her babies and their resources.

Excellent and factual post.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Are they a lot older than the other chicks? She might just not want more chicks and if you already gave her replacements

 

[Brooks_]

It disturbs me that CRT has permeated so deeply that now chickens are maybe racist.