Mean mama

[Cluckapalooza]

Will my mean mom be ok if I keep her away from her babies? Here’s the story. I have two Hens with 2 chicks each. 1 hen is a silkie with 2 chicks from a friends hen. The other is a Serama with an adopted chick and one of her own. The Silkie has decided that she needs to peck the Serama. Ok if it was a pecking order thing but she is also pecking the tiny Serama chick. She doesn’t peck the adopted chick (that one and the other 2 are all the same size (twice as big as the Serama baby)). The three adopted are all about 2 weeks old and the Serama baby is only 5 days. I have a second Silkie that has been coparenting with the other silkie. I removed grumpy mom and left the babies with aunty Silkie.

 

[Yardmom]

So the chicks are being cared for by the Silkies? It will not harm the hen to be removed, but don't expect her to take the chicks back later. You got lucky with hens raising chicks of different ages. Don't count on that happening in the future.

 

[DobieLover]

Will my mean mom be ok if I keep her away from her babies?

If the second Silkie is doing a good job raising the chicks and leaving the other broody mother alone, then lock up the hatch Silkie mother in a broody breaker for 4-5 days and break her broodiness. Be careful when you release her that she doesn't go after the Serama chick again. She may need to be segregated in the flock until the Serama mother weans the chick.