Hi all,
We've got 2 hens in a small flock that went broody within a couple of days of each other, one buff colored and one mostly-black cochin bantam(s). They shared the same nest for the entire 21 days. On day 22 the first chick (from 15 eggs) started to hatch and we moved them down to nest boxes on the floor, separated. 1 or 2 chicks have hatched each day for 5 days, and there are another 7 or 8 left to go (if viable). This evening 6 live chicks were with the ladies, four buff colored and two gray colored. Two hours later, the two grays were dead from head wounds.
It's tough to see because we've never seen it before. My first thought was that the buff one killed them because I'd seen her pecking at them. Online it says that the other chicks probably did it. All the live chicks except one have been with the black hen (evidently the favored mother). I tried removing the buff hen but she so desperately wanted back in that I let her back in and put an egg under her.
Should I remove all the chicks, give them something to do, and watch them for this behavior? If I have bullies in my older chicks, what are the odds they'll kill the yet-to-be-hatched ones that are due in the coming days? Thanks in advance.
We've got 2 hens in a small flock that went broody within a couple of days of each other, one buff colored and one mostly-black cochin bantam(s). They shared the same nest for the entire 21 days. On day 22 the first chick (from 15 eggs) started to hatch and we moved them down to nest boxes on the floor, separated. 1 or 2 chicks have hatched each day for 5 days, and there are another 7 or 8 left to go (if viable). This evening 6 live chicks were with the ladies, four buff colored and two gray colored. Two hours later, the two grays were dead from head wounds.
It's tough to see because we've never seen it before. My first thought was that the buff one killed them because I'd seen her pecking at them. Online it says that the other chicks probably did it. All the live chicks except one have been with the black hen (evidently the favored mother). I tried removing the buff hen but she so desperately wanted back in that I let her back in and put an egg under her.
Should I remove all the chicks, give them something to do, and watch them for this behavior? If I have bullies in my older chicks, what are the odds they'll kill the yet-to-be-hatched ones that are due in the coming days? Thanks in advance.