Should I remove these chicks?

I am a dyed in the wool city dweller and I just moved to a home, in the city, and inherited some lovely bantams. Problem: I've been careful to collect eggs each day, but the 'old hen' (who doesn't lay anymore, I was told) just had five chicks. We thought she was just old and lethargic and that was why she stayed in the back of her coop and rested all day. Not so! So now, we have five lovely chicks, one a rooster I think, and the mother has started pecking at their backs near their tail. They're red all down the tail area. What do I do? Is this dangerous? Is it time to leave mama? I'm not sure how old they are, they have pin feathers and one (the rooster I think) flew out of the pen with mama yesterday all by himself and did a great job of it. They're old enough for me to know that one is likely a rooster--it's feathers are coming in differently (white) and it's bigger that the rest. I have no more information that I can think of, but I'm concerned because no one seems to tell exactly what gets done as the chicks grow a bit older. Please advise me, I leave town in five days and won't be back for a week. I need to know what to tell the caregivers! (The picture was taken on June 18--so cute).

Doesn't look like any chick I've ever seen before!

MollyD

The picture looks like a very young chick, but If the mother hen is pecking at them then she is most likely ready to not be a mommy anymore. Usually they leave the babies at about 6 weeks (or so ours have), or even earlier depending on the hen. We had one abandon her babies at 4 weeks, she started pecking at them and chasing them away. They started running away from her.
I'd probably seperate the chicks from the mom. Feed them chick starter and make sure they are in a secure pen where nothing can get to them since they will no longer have the mom for protection.

They're pretty common bantams I think, called Silver Duckwing Old English Game Bantams.

I think my message and your message were sent at the same time! I don't have anywhere that I consider safe enough, except their own pen with mama. Should I put mama in with other hens (they tend to shun her, but haven't hurt her), or... are there any suggestions for a makeshift, safe coop until they're grown? When are they grown? I have no idea. We do have baby chicken food for them, and they're very healthy except for the pecking.

This chick looks like 3 that I have that are Aracaunas(sp?) Same coloring throughout their body as mine. Dunno if I am right or not but figured I would give my 2 cents. :)

Chickens are considered pretty much grown at 6 months. If they are hens they usually start laying eggs about that time and roos will start crowing at 5 or 6 months but some crow as early as 6 weeks.
I'd put mama with the other hens and leave the little ones in the pen you have them in now. The other hens may peck at her at first but will eventually accept that she is back with them and through with the babies.

Are your chicks bantams rosebud? Thanks for the advice smedgekles. The mama and her old rooster (died in the spring), had a pen of their own and had been away from the other four hens for a long time. The man who lived here before us said that the other hens simply don't get on with her. She was their mom, but I can't imagine it would make any difference to a chicken. Never in my life did I think I'd have chickens, but they came with the house, and the house is what I wanted. I certainly enjoy sharing the yard with the chickens during the day. I can only have five though, because it's the city, so I don't know how I'll choose. Now that I know the old girl lays eggs I will check her just the way I check the other four!

No maam they aren't bantams........

Well, then they're not the same chicks. I was surprised when I first saw them. I thought all new chicks (from chickens) were little yellow balls of fluff with orange beaks and feet. Now that I'm watching a (probable) rooster developing differently I'm even more fascinated. He's starting white feathers, right out of 'nowhere.'

Looks like my Creole Bantums did as chicks. Aracauna's can be small too (mine were shaped more like a wild bird & flew much like a it)......Any idea what breed mom & dad are?

You have no idea how that question has caught me off guard! I only have one rooster, and he looks like the pictures of Old English Game Bantams (Silver Duckwing), as do all of my hens. I assume that it means the babies are the same. I only had five hens and a rooster when all of this started!

FYI, yes, those are OEG Duckwings. see the color of the legs? the fine colroing around the head is common color in many breeds... which is why they look like so many others. even seabrights can look that way at first, and cmapines, and others that color, which i believe comes out like a mottled brown, but not partridge.

well, congrat ont he house and your chickens! surely you can list the chicks or the old hens for sale. you should sell the hens, raising hte chicks and getting to know their personalities will make all this work more fun, and then the chicks will be easier to manage...

when you separate the mother hen, the chicks will get cold. sound slike they are about three weeks old now. so they still need 85 degrees F at night. electricity will be needed for a heat lamp. so perhaps mama just needs a break, let out in the day and put in with the chicks at night. and to be sure they don't get over pecked, make a small box where they can get in and she can't in case they need a break from her. or get a small piece of wire with holes big enough fo rhtem to get through, and make theri own section out of the wind...

i ahve some OEG, they are blue wheaten. sure wish they would set on their eggs!!! we will add a new color this fall, not yet ABA accepted, it is called chocolate!

welcome to Dave's
tf

LOL, sorry bout the question. See I tend to make them 'human'.... I agree with tf, a lot of them look the same as chicks.

I've never experienced a hen picking on her own young. only the 'mom' going after anything to protect her chicks. Then having to separate 'family' from rest of flock for a while.

TF, do you ship bantum eggs? To WA?? I don't care if they are ABA or not. BUT if I decide to hatch again, want to stick with banty's for now..........OMG am I crazy or what!!!

LOL PFA, knew you couldn't resist.

well, lets see if they start laying again. they had 16 eggs. now they are too old to even eat, much less incubate...

can't you wait till i get the chocolate ones?

I can wait, I want some chocolate ones, name them hersheys, snickers, nestley..........Get the idea lol.
Oh no I sais I didnt want to do the bator thing, maybe once I can try just for the experience.

If your chicks are still chirping by now they are old enough to be separated from their mother. They ought to be warm enough at night even way north on Vancouver Island. Kelly in Moxee

Thanks for all the great information. I like the idea of letting the mama in with her chicks at night but separating in the day. It should work. A place where the chicks can be alone sounds good too. I'll get on it. We have had a chilly spring and summer so far, except for a bit of heat a few days ago. It cools a lot at night, so the chicks will need warmth then. I have four days to make this work before I leave, so I'll set it all up today and watch. My 19 year old son (not a farming bone in his body) will be overseeing, so I've got to get it right.

maybe your son can get a genetic tranplant, QUICKLY!

good luck! nice to meet you and your chicks.

Well, this morning I put the mama outside the coop and left the chicks inside. She loved it for awhile, but has been standing at the closed coop door for ages now, and the chicks are standing just inside the door looking out at her.
Am I reading emotion into a simple chicken behaviour of 'the grass must be greener...?' The pecking didn't get any worse overnight. I'm going to leave them like that, it won't kill the mama or the chicks, and put a little chicken wire contraption inside this evening so the chicks can avoid their mom if necessary. Any ideas on the behaviour... staring at each other through the coop door?

If the mother was pecking the chicks to the degree you describe ... it was due to a simple lack of food. I dislike putting a negative spin on the situation there but a mother hen doesn't peck at her biddies that much for any other reason. Kelly in Moxee

Oh no!!! Do you really think so? We are so careful to feed them enough... or so we thought. They never have an empty bowl, and we put in special food for the chicks and adult food for mama. They've never been empty. Is there something extra we should be doing in the way of food? I know that they should never be out of water too, and we keep it fresh and full. The pen is very clean, and there's lots of room for everyone. I checked all those things out with books and the feed store people. What do you think?

I think you are fine--although maybe she has some special need regular feed isn't meeting. Maybe try upping her protein with dry cat food.

Birds can fixate on odd things. The fact that the previous owners kept her separated may indicate she was a plucker to begin with. Once they start they can become compulsive about it and nothing you do will stop her. Heavens, well fed humans can start doing similar things. Compulsive behavior is pretty wide spread in the animal kingdom. Just look a border collies and parrots!

TF, I can wait too. I like L2G2's idea of names! Chocolate would be a nice change from the few oldies I have left now. M&M, Rolo, Tootsie.....the list would be endless! Now I am getting eggcited!

I agree with the rest of you, not normal for her to peck babies. It may be that that was her problem before. Just like egg eating, once they are fixated, not much you can do to stop. Raising for eggs only to have a hen get them before I could is not for me! Definitely a carrot person here -- I do the work, I get the reward. LOL

Do know they tend to like new 'blood filled' feather shoots. Maybe that is what she is after & may stop once the feathers are allowed to grow & more mature???? It was a major problem with teen pheasant & quail. Partially due to boredom / stress. Rest from genetics and????

Well, I don't think it's the food. My DH looks after that during the week because I work in the day, so it works out. I checked with him to be absolutely sure, and there's no question that they're well fed. I'll toss in a bit of cat food (dry) just to be certain it's not protein. I wouldn't be surprised if she's a pecker. She pecks at the rooster when they're in the yard together, but the other hens just shun her. She might very well be obsessed lol. Well, I've made a chick retreat from a plastic bowl with a hole in it and a brick on top to keep it in place. I hope it works, as I wouldn't want to be responsible for something horrible happening to those chicks!

Maggie, Some times you can do everything by the book and the darn birds will just do something that surprises. Since feed has pretty much been ruled out ... then the protein issue could be it and last of all ... just frayed nerves ... pecking at the kids. She may just need more space to wander about with her babies. Why not let them all out for a walk now and then? Kelly in Moxee

Well, there's no harm in trying that out too. I'll give that a chance tomorrow. For tonight, they have a place to get away from mama if need be, but they can be roasty toasty under her wings if that works out better. Sheesh, this chicken farming ain't so easy!

Should be safer at night, chickens can't see in dark (night blindness). Although I am not convince that they don't see at all. Maybe a walk in green grass will help.

Good luck! Also, I would be inclined to keep the babies if mostly hens & get rid of the older ones. Believe someone else already mentioned the personality thing AND you would get more eggs from younger hens. Not knowing how old they are, could be they are at the end of the line......

Do you feed them table scraps? They like to peck at table scraps and also oatmeal is a nice treat. Sometimes they just are tired of the same ole, same ole, and and nice treat thrown in makes them very happy.

table scraps???? anything. I mix my sauce with my spaghetti will that be ok and it has ground beef in it along with seasonings. Eggs are expensive and they love that treat. We are going to fix steaks on the grill with taters squash onions (red) okra in butter would that be ok. Oh and homemade yeast bread. Left over steaks will of course go to the dogs and the cat. Gotta share it. Maybe I will make them some oatmeal, cant hurt and wont be bad for the 3 week old puppies also, maybe make a double batch.

I haven't been giving them table scraps lately because they tend to turn their noses up. I'll try again and see what happens

We toss all our table scraps to the birds ... but layer pellets are supposed o provide EVERY possible nutrient ... for a perfectly balanced healthy diet. The birds love the scraps ... but then they love everything. None of them are rocket scientists and god knows there is at least one fat slob who IS a genius and doesn't eat well balanced meals. I prefer healthy and nutritionally balanced meals and I'm not even a genius. Kelly in Moxee

Well, something seems to be working, and I don't know the why or the wherefore. I've tried every suggestion except taking mama out of the pen (because I gave the chicks a place to hide) and one of those things has made a difference. It seems to take a village to raise a chicken! The backs of the chicks are no different that yesterday morning, so it's been about a day and a half since this all started. If something else goes wrong--you'll be hearing from me again :0
Thank you all very much, Maggie

whopee! goo dto know. yes, it seems to take all of our little brains together to take care of the bird brains LOL, just call me ChickenHead...