Question about chicks?

[Juststarting]

I have a hen that hatched 11 of 11,I went out and one was dead,she had pecked it's beak off,I went to get a box to put the diddles in and by the time I got back she had pecked the beaks off of 5 more,so I'm keeping them in a box with a heat lamp on them right now, my questions are, how long should I keep them in the box with the lamp before I turn them loose in a big pen for a while? And why did she peck their beams off?

[Darkside]

maybe she was pecking that burger bump looking thing on their beaks when they're newly hatched

[Juststarting]

Maybe...I thought it might have been a calcium deciciency like when they eat their eggs,but I keep oyster shells in all my pens so that shouldn't have been it

[DIESEL2007]

Some hens just not fit to brood chicks. You can't control what they going do some just do what they like.

[kywolf]

a hen that does things like that is mentally unstable.i wouldnt raise from her anymore if i could help it.if i did i would set her eggs under a differnt hen.

[Juststarting]

Gonna have to do something,may just order a incubator and brooder

[overlord]

i don.t know why she did it but i keep mines with the light for about a month and then i move them to a pen outside for another month then i let them out, this is the summer months in the winter i do it way differently.

[Kakahna671]

Originally Posted by Juststarting

Maybe...I thought it might have been a calcium deciciency like when they eat their eggs,but I keep oyster shells in all my pens so that shouldn't have been it

Vitamin deficiency could do this to gamefowl (A,D&E). Now that you seperated the little ones, keep them at 95 degrees, and a 5 degrees temperture drop each week, until you free range them (in a month time).

Good Luck

[BamaOkie]

Is the hen a young hen or pullet? Her first batch of chicks? Was she hen or incubator raised? I have seen many first time moma pullets/hens freak out when chicks start hatching. Most just don't know WTF going on. I would try letting chicks go back with her from a distance. Hens I have had that did this were incubated raised and did not have a moma to teach them. Their second batch they was good momas. Flighty nervous hens seem bad about it too. I for the most part cull spooky flighty nervous pullets/hens. If I have no other choice I hatch her eggs under a good proven moma.

Shade & plenty fresh water a MUST to!
I know I have lost a bunch to fire ants this summer. They get on chicks hen kills biddys trying get ants off them. Soaking the nest with a heavy mist of Malathion just before hatching has cured this for most part. Thing about raising gamefowl if it can happen it will.

[Juststarting]

She is around 3 I suppose I ordered a pair of them,this is her second hatch she only hatched 3 the first time but I lost them,she doesn't act crazy after I catch her....and as of her being a incubator chicken,I don't know,Ive got a 6x12 brood pen open now I'll prolly hang a light in there for them in a week, so they will have more room to run around and let them stay in there for a couple of more weeks

[Juststarting]

I have had it with this Hen,if i don't change my mind iam goin to have a 350$ soup my next day off,out of the 5 She didn't kill on her last hatch I have 2 left,something got the other 3....she laid another clutch of 14 and she wasn't soposed to be hatching them till today,I go out yesterday and 2 were dead and one was dead before it made it out of the shell.....I have been up all night checking every hour to see if any has hatched,I got 7 got the last one out at 530am before I came to work,hopefully some of them will make it cause I'm done with her

[Cossatot]

I think I'd feel the same way Juststarting. Sounds llike the hen has a problem not worth sorting out.

[SS Gamefowl]

sounds like shes gotta problem that only can be fixed by killing that one