Broody hen a bad mom? Should I intervene?

[annmarie33]

She is a cochin bantam and this is her first time hatching. She had 2 eggs around the same development but kept adding more I think of other hens eggs until the end. I just took them all out except the two. They hatched the same day. But one was right before sunset. Everything was fine and then in the morning the chick was dead about 6 inches from her.Not stiff yet. No marks or anything. The other had hatched under her over night. Later that day the other chick was chirping a lot and went and checked and the hen was sitting on 2 eggs that I don't think we're hers and not caring about the chick. My last Hen was a prefect mom so I don't know what to do here. Why is she still collecting eggs after hatching?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Unfortunately, not all brood hens are created equal. This might just be because its her first time, or this might be what you can expect from her everytime she sits. Time will tell. I would pull the chick and brood it myself. Take the eggs out from under her and break her of her broodiness. If she isn't paying any attention to her newly hatched chicks, she needs to be done with the whole sitting business. If you allow her to sit again, I'd definitely keep an eye on her at hatch time. She may just be one of those hens that makes an excellent incubator, but a terrible mom. It happens.

Good luck! Sorry about your lost chick

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had a first time broody last year that attacked the chick after it hatched, I removed it from her, she went back to her empty nest. I gave the chick to a more experienced hen who took it and raised it. The original hen sat for another two weeks before giving up. Never trust a first time broody, she doesn't necessarily know what to do, or why there are things moving under her.