Quote:
I'd guess the pens they're in are too small. My hens usually will keep their chicks for 4 to 5 weeks in 4x8x8 pens. A couple weeks longer sometimes in 8x8x8 pens. I think that in the wild they would be trying to wean the chicks and in a pen the chicks can't give her enough space so the hen gets rough with them. Often, when the hen is acting like she wants rid of the chicks it's because she's starting to cycle again and wants to lay more eggs. I usually just watch the hen and when she starts acting like she's had enough of them I just go in at night and take her out of the pen. The chicks will cry for her for a couple days, but it seems be less traumatic for the chicks to remove the hen. Times that I've moved the chicks they seem to stress out and start to battle with each other very young.
I'd guess the pens they're in are too small. My hens usually will keep their chicks for 4 to 5 weeks in 4x8x8 pens. A couple weeks longer sometimes in 8x8x8 pens. I think that in the wild they would be trying to wean the chicks and in a pen the chicks can't give her enough space so the hen gets rough with them. Often, when the hen is acting like she wants rid of the chicks it's because she's starting to cycle again and wants to lay more eggs. I usually just watch the hen and when she starts acting like she's had enough of them I just go in at night and take her out of the pen. The chicks will cry for her for a couple days, but it seems be less traumatic for the chicks to remove the hen. Times that I've moved the chicks they seem to stress out and start to battle with each other very young.
