Submissive broody - bottom of the pecking order

[Penny spender]

I thought Peach's mothering protective instinct would kick in once the chicks hatched, but so far it doesnt seem like it. I have her and her eggs/chicks in a separate shed but due to the hot weather I left the door open and of course the other ladies come to investigate. She let 2 of the other hens peck at the babies. Is this normal?

Peach has always been a little strange, off on her own, doing her own thing, bottom of the pecking order, sweetest chick I ever raised. She proving to be a brooding machine as 4 hatched Tuesday, another 2 last night, and she has no intention of leaving the other 5 eggs yet. She brings the littles out for a peck and scratch and a drink, then right back to the nest, 6 littles in tow. I have food & water right beside her.

Ive locked the other non-broodies in the other coop with attached run for the day. Probably for a few days, to give the chicks a chance to get their land-legs. Im going to rig up a creep section in the shed, where the chicks can hide under but hens are too big.

Do you think Peach will ever step up and protect her babies...or is bottom of the flock always bottom of the flock?

 

[Robert G]

I guess every hen has their own behavior. My most submissive hen became the meanest broody when she hatched her chicks. She fought off anything that got close to her. She even scares me when I'm feeding them.

 

[centrarchid]

Keep other hens away in this situation.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That behavior is a bit strange, bringing the chicks out to eat and drink, then going back to the nest. Once mine bring them off the nest to eat and drink they don't return to the nest. Maybe she has not yet switched from hatching mode to raising chicks mode. They do that by instinct and it's always possible her instincts can be off kilter.

Regardless of her position in the pecking order I've never had a hen fail to protect her chicks. Some are more proactive than others, attacking any chicken that approaches her chicks. Others are more laid back and are not so proactive. They are OK for their chicks to roam and mingle with the others, but if their chicks are ever threatened they go into a vicious protective mode very quickly.

One thing I've observed several times, usually about the time the chicks are two weeks old, older than yours. A chick leaves the mother's protection and goes over to stand with other older hens around the feeder and starts eating. Sometimes the older hens ignore the chick, at least for a little while. But usually it doesn't take long for one of the hens to peck that chick to remind it that it is bad chicken etiquette for that chick to eat with its betters. The chick immediately runs back to Momma, squawking and flapping its little wings. Momma generally ignores all this, the chick may have learned a valuable lesson. But if that hen then follows the chick to reinforce that lesson, Momma promptly kicks butt.

I don't know if your hen will ever kick over to a more protective mode. I don't know how safe your chicks will be with the flock. But i think Centrarchid is correct. Keep the other hens away.

 

[Penny spender]

That behavior is a bit strange, bringing the chicks out to eat and drink, then going back to the nest. Once mine bring them off the nest to eat and drink they don't return to the nest. Maybe she has not yet switched from hatching mode to raising chicks mode. They do that by instinct and it's always possible her instincts can be off kilter.

I think you were absolutely correct about hatch mode vs raising chicks mode. She was just a little slower to make the brain switch (she is a little special). A day later she became the typical hen momma causing hell for anything that came too close. lol My toy australian shepard is living in fear of the henhouse now. lol