8 week old chicks without Mom

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RheaKay1

RheaKay1

Chirping
5 Years
Oct 23, 2015
9
0
55
My mother hen wants to be with the other hens now. She has 5 chicks that are 7 weeks old. Mom and chicks have been in a separate coop. I'm concerned about Mom not being with them at night to keep them warm. Our overnight temp. here is ranging between 27-36 degrees. She has been out with the other hens for 2 days and then I put her with the chicks at night. Was wondering if the chicks would be alright without Mom overnight.
 
If they are fully feathered they will be okay with out there mom. But if they are not fully feathered they will need some type of heat.
 
Is there a reason mama and chicks cannot all go in with flock?
Might be too late tho...and chicks should have plenty of feathers by 7 weeks.
 
I let the flock out during the day to free range and we have two cats that lick their lips when they see the chicks so that's why they are not out with the flock. Our hen house is divided, as we had to add an addition because I wasn't expecting new chicks 7 weeks ago. I have the option to leave both sides open to see if the night time arrangements would work with 5 hens (one of which is the chicks Mom) and 1 rooster and 5 chicks. I'd feel horrible if anything happened to the babies during the night.
 
RheaKay1 said:
I let the flock out during the day to free range and we have two cats that lick their lips when they see the chicks so that's why they are not out with the flock. Our hen house is divided, as we had to add an addition because I wasn't expecting new chicks 7 weeks ago. I have the option to leave both sides open to see if the night time arrangements would work with 5 hens (one of which is the chicks Mom) and 1 rooster and 5 chicks. I'd feel horrible if anything happened to the babies during the night.
Click to expand...
Are both sides of the coop visible to each other?
 
Yes, actually it is one coop with an opening inside to the other part so that they can get to the part where the chicks and mom are. There is a nest box also with a roost.
 
RheaKay1 said:
Yes, actually it is one coop with an opening inside to the other part so that they can get to the part where the chicks and mom are. There is a nest box also with a roost.
Click to expand...
I'd just leave the 2 parts open to one another, see what happens?
 
Last edited:
It is dependent upon night time temperatures as well as being within the warmth of the Mother Hen...I would say that when they are fully feathered (normally at 6-8 weeks) they should be able to sustain their body warmth as long as they are kept inside and not exposed to the elements overnight..it is amazing at how much heat can be generated from having a few chickens in a coop...they will tend to huddle together to ensure they get a degree of warmth from one another.i
 

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