elmwood
New member
Hi,
All my posts recently have been about our broody pekin, trying to break her, giving up, letting her sit, the trauma of chick dying in its shell, and then only one egg successfuly hatching .
Now Mama Lavender has decided she no longer wants to be a mama!
Yesterday, mid morning, having checked on whether mama & her 5 day old chick were out- no chirping. Gently lifted mama and chick moved from under her. It looked rather crushed. So we put them both in their enclosed run and the chick guzzled water and gobbled the crumb. Within ten minutes of this, mama literally turned on the chick. We stood there horrified. She was picking it up by its wing and throwing it as far away from her as possible, repeatedly. After about 10 throws, Mike moved mama away from chick, and I cuddled it in my hands. It was shaking, and no doubt was cold too. After things seemed to calm, we replaced the chick, mama picked up where she left off. The little chick on two of these throws, ended up on its back and unable to right itself. It actually looked winded. It was absolutely awful to stand by helplessly. BUT after about another 10 throws, enough was enough. We removed chick, and he/she has now found a new home with a couple of dozen poland chicks up at our poultry ladys farm. (The lady who originally gave us the 4 Poland eggs for our broody to sit on- so by default she has actaully had back what was rightly hers!)
After returning home, mama was fully integrated back in the flock, dust bathing. She never once returned to the broody coop she has spent the last four weeks in! Later that day, she was sitting in the nest box of the main house.... on two eggs! I practically threw her out. Later again, she appeared to be actually sitting in wait for our third pekin to lay, I managed to remove the egg before mama had chance to sit on it. I watched her continuously peck the sitting pekin, so that she would move, and then she frantically searched for the egg, going round and round, then settling on nothing.
I am very upset with mama Lavender. I can take some comfort from the fact the chick is now happily running around with other chicks. BUT I am seriously doubting my chicken capabilities. Suffice to say there will be no more chicks, and as for broody pekins- well Mike is making a false wire bottom for them to sit on should they go broody.......
Its been such a nerve wrecking experience and I really don't know how you all do it. I know its not Lavenders fault, but I am so "off" with her. To see her totally back in the thick of the flock without a care in the world for Little Pip is so dis-heartening.
I hope if nothing else, this account of what has happened to us, may help and prepare others.
A very tearful Sharron
All my posts recently have been about our broody pekin, trying to break her, giving up, letting her sit, the trauma of chick dying in its shell, and then only one egg successfuly hatching .
Now Mama Lavender has decided she no longer wants to be a mama!
Yesterday, mid morning, having checked on whether mama & her 5 day old chick were out- no chirping. Gently lifted mama and chick moved from under her. It looked rather crushed. So we put them both in their enclosed run and the chick guzzled water and gobbled the crumb. Within ten minutes of this, mama literally turned on the chick. We stood there horrified. She was picking it up by its wing and throwing it as far away from her as possible, repeatedly. After about 10 throws, Mike moved mama away from chick, and I cuddled it in my hands. It was shaking, and no doubt was cold too. After things seemed to calm, we replaced the chick, mama picked up where she left off. The little chick on two of these throws, ended up on its back and unable to right itself. It actually looked winded. It was absolutely awful to stand by helplessly. BUT after about another 10 throws, enough was enough. We removed chick, and he/she has now found a new home with a couple of dozen poland chicks up at our poultry ladys farm. (The lady who originally gave us the 4 Poland eggs for our broody to sit on- so by default she has actaully had back what was rightly hers!)
After returning home, mama was fully integrated back in the flock, dust bathing. She never once returned to the broody coop she has spent the last four weeks in! Later that day, she was sitting in the nest box of the main house.... on two eggs! I practically threw her out. Later again, she appeared to be actually sitting in wait for our third pekin to lay, I managed to remove the egg before mama had chance to sit on it. I watched her continuously peck the sitting pekin, so that she would move, and then she frantically searched for the egg, going round and round, then settling on nothing.
I am very upset with mama Lavender. I can take some comfort from the fact the chick is now happily running around with other chicks. BUT I am seriously doubting my chicken capabilities. Suffice to say there will be no more chicks, and as for broody pekins- well Mike is making a false wire bottom for them to sit on should they go broody.......
Its been such a nerve wrecking experience and I really don't know how you all do it. I know its not Lavenders fault, but I am so "off" with her. To see her totally back in the thick of the flock without a care in the world for Little Pip is so dis-heartening.
I hope if nothing else, this account of what has happened to us, may help and prepare others.
A very tearful Sharron
With animals there are always trials and tribulations 
) are told - get pekins- a docile, popular choice but forget to mention they are almost constantly broody and don't lay many eggs- they are one of the worst breeds for going broody- a fact people are not told about and then suffer the worry of what to do with all the broodies- sett them, try to break them etc. So, take heart- you are not alone 
