Mom pecking at chicks, please help (with photo)

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

And yes 15 Celsius is still too cold for babies...

 

[HeatherlovesherBirds]

Eggcessive gives the best advice ^ she is a long timer!! Read her reply also if you haven't!!

 

[bobbi-j]

Mama does need to be separated. How big is the coop you have them in? I’m just wondering if they might be a bit crowded, and that’s why she was attacking them.

I wouldn’t move them into the house - they don’t need that much heat at 3 weeks. Instead of a heat lamp, check out the MHP thread (Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder). I raised chicks in the coop from Day 1 with the MHP. Temps were below freezing, but the chcicks were fine.

 

[Chelsea-85]

Nope not forever but at least until they can fight for themselves... Chickens do have pecking orders and they will peck at each other... I do mind when they are like 3 to 4 months old I also put a fence in between them but I have a lot of birds... Then when they get used to each other I let them go together...I have done it this way...it seems to work. Good luck !!

Thank you very much dear, I well noted your reply. Thanks again. I separated the chicks from yesterday and cured the two injured chicks, they seem fine and eat/drink well.

Thanks again

 

[Eggcessive]

She will never accept the chicks back as her chicks, but she will treat them as her flock members later when they are similar in size. When broodies raise chicks, she will eventually run them off, to go back to her life as a laying hen, and they all act as individual flock members after that.

I had 2 week olds who were abandoned by their broody once, and they survived on their own by keeping each other warm in a single nest box at night. She had taught them how to forage for food and water, and the other flock members were used to them.

I had mentioned the mama heating pad earlier, and that is what I would use, and keep them inside the coop. At first, they need to be protected from the big birds inside a dog crate until they get much bigger.