Will my hen kill her new chicks?

[Mursal Mirza]

Hi everyone I'm new to BYC and I have a beautiful buff Cochin sitting on 6 eggs and i know for a fact( as I checked the eggs right now literally) that 3 chicks are comming and they have already started to come out of their shells.
Now the prob is that the last time she was broody she killed her only chick at birth which was weird as I've never had a hen kill her own chick before, and What I'm asking is that will she kill her new chicks too? And if she does why?????

 

[bcarthen]

Some chickens (just as some people) suck at being parents. Its possible that she knew the chick wouldn't make it and that's why she killed it. Its also a chance that it was an accident. I would let her hatch them and if she does the same thing then use that as a lesson and don't let her hatch anymore out or pull them from her as soon as they hatch but that requires constant monitoring around hatch day.

 

[Mursal Mirza]

GOOD NEWS!!!
SHE HATCHED THREE AND DIDNT KILL THEM!!!
I guess she killed that chick because it was weak and didn't look like her. Thanks for the advice

 

[bobbi-j]

Glad all are doing well. Did you actually witness her killing the other chick? If not, it's possible that it died some other way. Or, as you mentioned, it could have been weak or had some other defect.

Chickens really don't know or care if their chicks look like them or not. Some chickens will even hatch out ducklings and try to raise them.

 

[Mursal Mirza]

I did see it being killed and I think I know why now. First of all that was her first chick ever second it was a bantam and third it looked nothing like her

 

[chickens really]

Chickens have no clue as to what they look like.....That was not the reason she killed it....

 

[Mursal Mirza]

well maybe your right about the looks thing

 

[Mursal Mirza]

well maybe your right about the looks thing

 

[Mursal Mirza]

well maybe your right about the looks thing


Look at her little darls:

 

[chickens really]

Most common cause for killing Chicks is New Momma/first time Broody....They get over whelmed when the eggs begin to hatch or human interference when hatching is taking place....