Hello Feathered Friends! I may not know everything, but if ya have a question or two I can try... If you want you can help me learn more too! The Angry Hen
Sounds like fun. : ) Here's an interesting question. Have you noticed any cause for why some broody hens are more prone to be aggressive towards chicks than others? There are the hens who abandon their chicks early because they aren't very motherly, those that are very protective and wonderful mothers, and those that are so aggressive they attack their own babies. I've noticed that my pure sebright was a great mother to her own chicks but attacked other chicks, even killing them. But my sebright mix hen (part silkie and part OEGB) seems to have no mothering instinct at all despite having silkie and OEGB, both being strong and dependable brooders.
Hello, Yes I agree, good question. I had a mother hen that hatched one baby, she pecked the other eggs either for food or for anger that only one baby hatched. I think three out of four of the eggs were defective, the one should have hatched but she drew blood. I guess it is like people, they have a natural mother instinct, some will have babies and love it, others will go broody because it's in their blood but they don't enjoy it, some even see the babies as their responsibility, others will think the chick is not perfect, ugly, or just not theirs. I hate that not all hens want to be a mother or are mean to the chicks. My one rooster wasn't fertile but we really wanted the hens to have babies, the one hen was mad at the rooster because she was long broody but had no babies, she thinks it is his fault. The others might not be built to have babies, they want to perch and roam without having chicks following her around. Ya never know. No hen is the same. Thank you for posting on my thread, I hope my answer is helpful! It is healthy to think. Some people believe there is an answer to everything, I believe that life is one big answer and you have to use your imagination and hope. If all answers are found with things that don't have to do with chickens life will end. If there is things found with helping chickens, than life will grow. -The Angry Hen
