Veteran broody killed chicks

[buterflysbeauty]

This is gonna be long, I thank you in advance for reading! Big mama is a blue laced red wyndotte and was given to us as a good hen with 1 chick (blue orpington) who is now a year old. Mama was an excellent mother previously and still mothers Peepers at times. She is also our top hen who even tells the rooster what to do. So ehen she went broody I was very excited and put some rare barred holland eggs under her. Last night the first one hatched, this morning there were 4 babies under her. She was very protective of me checking the other 3 eggs under her for pips. I did grab one chick just to see them and take a picture than gave him right back. She pecked him, i thought she was cleaning him than she did it again and I put him under her so she would know he was hers and watched her, she seemed fine. Went back to clucking to the cheeping chicks. I didn't have the incubator set up or i would have taken him then. I set up the incubator after that just in case.... thankfully i did. I also sectioned her off with food and water from everyone else. About an hour later I go back out to find 2 bloody chick heads sticking out from under her laying next to each other. I threw her off the nest and took the whole thing. There was 1 just hatched, still wet,2 fluffy guys and the 2 injured with 1 pipped egg with most of the shell off (either stepped on or pecked off). We lost one of the chicks, she had bit his head so hard there was an indent on one side that pushed out the other. The other injured it looks like she scalped on both sides of his head. I'm going he's not going to lose his one eye. I doctored him up and he has a good cheep and can stand but is critical. He's in the incubator with eggbert the little pipped egg chick we ended up having to help hatch. Mama is still broody though......i have her the last egg to sit on (its one of our bantams) but IDK if it's alive anymore. I don't know what to do. I don't have a broody breaker to put her in, I don't trust her with the newborns and i don't have any other chicks, my youngest are 5weeks olds (2 blue orpingtons and 1 bantam EE). Why would a veteran mom do this? Did I cause this by picking up that baby? Can chickens be racist?!?

 

[PD-Riverman]

Sorry for your Lose. Let me tell you what I do. I Leave my hatching Broody hens Alone, never touching them after day 18, Never touch a chick until after the hatch is Completely over. It upsets them as you can see. Did you cause this??? I do not know----everything seemed to be fine until?? Out of over 150 broody hens in just 3 years(didn't keep up with them before)hatching close 1500 chicks, I have never had a mother to hurt her chicks. Again I Do Not Even Get Close to her during this time----she does not need my help. Tilting a hen during this time is not a good thing in my opinion because doing that to look under her causes the moisture to escape, the moisture she has built up for the hatch. Sorry!

 

[SterlingSilver]

Well my best friend had chickens and this happened to her too her hens almost killed 6 baby chicks. Yeah, she wasn't around much longer!!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Well my best friend had chickens and this happened to her too her hens almost killed 6 baby chicks. Yeah, she wasn't around much longer!!

Did she bother the Broody hen while the chicks were hatching? The reason I ask is I don't even get close to her during the hatch and I would have to guess and say at least 300 broody hens in the last 20 years and I have never had this to happen----guess I been Lucky.

 

[SterlingSilver]

Did she bother the Broody hen while the chicks were hatching? The reason I ask is I don't even get close to her during the hatch and I would have to guess and say at least 300 broody hens in the last 20 years and I have never had this to happen----guess I been Lucky.

I don't think they touched them until after the attack. May have gone into the coop before that though.

f you are wondering it was pretty good stew!

 

[buterflysbeauty]

Thank you for the advice @PD-Riverman I won't be bothering another broody! Mama is still brooding in her nest although she was up this morning for at least an hour. We ended up losing one of the chicks she injured from his head injury. The other injured guy is doing ok, I'm hoping she didn't blind him in both eyes. The other 4 chicks are doing good in their brooder.

Should I try to break mama? Let her sit it out till she breaks herself? See if she'll take the chicks? Thoughts/ideas?

 

[PD-Riverman]

Thank you for the advice @PD-Riverman I won't be bothering another broody! Mama is still brooding in her nest although she was up this morning for at least an hour. We ended up losing one of the chicks she injured from his head injury. The other injured guy is doing ok, I'm hoping she didn't blind him in both eyes. The other 4 chicks are doing good in their brooder.

Should I try to break mama? Let her sit it out till she breaks herself? See if she'll take the chicks? Thoughts/ideas?

If she is through hatching, and you have taken the chicks. I would break her in a broody breaker cage. No since in her setting there for days/weeks longer.

 

[buterflysbeauty]

If she is through hatching, and you have taken the chicks. I would break her in a broody breaker cage. No since in her setting there for days/weeks longer.

That's what I was thinking. Now to look up a diy broody breaker cage! Stashy says hank you again.

 

[azygous]

What a tragic story. I can imagine how traumatized you must have felt.

Thanks very much for sharing. It's a cautionary tale of sorts. While not having had nearly the horrible experience you've gone through, I have seen a broody go nuts when I tried to introduce several two-day old hatchery chicks that were the same age as the single chick she had recently hatched. She pounced on the strange chicks and seemed intent on pecking them into chicken nuggets. I quickly grabbed them up before any injuries occurred, but it certainly left me badly shaken.

It's wise to keep in mind we're dealing with very hormonal creatures that may be easily upset. PD offered very wise advice when cautioning not to disturb a broody during this process.

 

[PD-Riverman]

That's what I was thinking. Now to look up a diy broody breaker cage! Stashy says hank you again.

A wire bottom elevated cage, best to hang a food/water bowl/container on the side so she can not lay on it----no roost pole. You want it where she has No bed, no straw, nothing she can lay on except for the wire floor. Put her in it for 3 FULL days---like today---Thursday----take her out Sunday evening. Do not take her out the cage to poop, etc----3 full days in. Works every time for me. This is mine----hanging on the back of the coop, has a egg roll out floor. I use it for many things----broody breaker, hurt chicken, egg eater, etc, etc.