HELP!! broody hen hurting foster chicks PLEASE HELP!

[bock]

I bought two two day old chicks for my broody bantam cochin today. I put them under her right when I got home and have been watching them ever since. The Buff Orpington popped her head out of her chest, so I offered her some chick starter. Her and her mom were both eating out of my hand, then I put the food on the floor. All of the sudden mommy hen started to peck the chick hard on the back. I immediatly reached in and put her under her mom. Why is she being mean one second and nice the next.

I also noticed she doesn't cluck like my other broodies do around their chicks. PLEASE HELP, I don't want her to kill her babies!

 

[cybercat]

bumping for you to get answered.

 

[bock]

Quote:
Thanks Cybercat, I took them away from her because she attacked them again. I gave them to my broody Jap. bantam, but her 3 week old chicks were attacking them. So now they are in my house in a tupperware bin.

Hm, at least they are safe now.

 

[Kittymomma]

Keep a close eye on them and if she continues to be mean you'll have to pull the chicks and brood them yourself. Broody hens usually take day olds without too much problem, but it's not fool proof. Best of luck!

 

[ranchhand]

I've never had a broody hen, but I have read many times that it's best to slip them under her at night. Maybe that would work?

 

[DAFox]

I've heard about people putting 1 day old chicks under broody hens at night. Then, she wakes up with them "hatched". Was your broody sitting on eggs before you put chicks under her? If not, then the natural order of things did not happen.
Another thought, just hatched chicks do stay under Mom til they are stronger. She may have been trying to protect it but it seemed like she was hurting it. I've had that happen, where I thought that the Mama was being rough but, the chick survived and was fine.
Good luck!
Dale-Ann

 

[ozark hen]

I have one buff chick that forced her way in with a broody buff hen. She was pecked by the broody but held her ground and now has managed to have two foster mamas in the there. Either one will tend to the chick. Now this was a very determined chick. she has been with her two adopted mamas now for about four weeks.

edited to add: the hen the little chick went under at the age of about three weeks was sitting on eggs at the time. She has abandoned the eggs since then and another broody took over the eggs. I would agree with putting a chick under the hen at night. Although, this chick did her own thing.

 

[bock]

Thank you everyone for all the support.

The cochin had been sitting on 5 eggs for about 15 days, but a raccoon broke in and ate her eggs.

I thought she would like some fuzzbutts, but it seemed like she thought she was still sitting on eggs and when a chicks popped out, she thought it was some kind of rabid animal!

All is well now with the fuzzbutts!

 

[CorralitosSunflower]

I agree when you are trying to give hens live chicks you have to mimic nature as close as possible. For some reason chickens have a time clock for when their clutch is supposed to hatch. Usually they will sit longer, but to slip chicks in before they would have normally hatched may have been your problem. Next time you introduce chicks I would wait until broody has been on her nest for at least 21 days, maybe longer, and put the chicks under her at night. In the meantime maybe put some new unfertile eggs under her so she will continue to brood the nest. I am not sure what the outcome was this time around, are you brooding them or did mama eventually catch on and stop pecking them?

 

[sfchixn]

As a kid, my dad and I had always only done this at night which is to slip the chicks underneath the hen in complete darkness. For every check we add, we remove an egg. My dad went so far as to add some crushed bits of broken egg shell for effect. However, I always thought that was a stretch ^_^.