Mother hen is pulling on the new wing feathers of her week old chicks this normal should you separate from chicks?

- The hen may be experiencing nutrient deficiencies: When a hen lacks certain vitamins and minerals, they may exhibit strange behaviors like biting feathers. Offering a nutritious diet rich in calcium, protein, and vitamins should resolve this issue.

- The hen may be overly stressed or anxious: Stress can manifest in a variety of ways, such as feather pulling. Try to reduce stress factors by providing the hen with enough space, access to clean water and feed, and protecting her from potential predators.

- The hen may be displaying predatory behavior: Some aggressive birds will peck at the feathers of chicks as a part of their hunting instinct. However, this is uncommon amongst domestic hens.

Separating Chicks from Hen

As this scenario suggests that the hen's feather behavior falls under predatory behaviour it may be safer to seperate the mother hen from her chicks to prevent serious injury in future.