When do chicks leave mother hen?

Icrazyaboutu said:

I have a chick that is almost 4 months and he still sleeps with his mom every night. He has sat on eggs with her and everything. He is even helping her with the new babies that just hatched! He leaves her for about an hour at a time to hang out with our roosters or to go eat pincher bugs under our hay loft. I don't know when he will stop sleeping with her tho. Probably when he is too big to fit in the small roosting box with her. lol.

Click to expand...

Shezadandy said:

It does seem that single chicks stay attached to mom (male or female chicks) for whatever reason. One of mine started weaning them at 21 days (it was June/July) and the other ... the other didn't wean until 9 weeks old (Oct-Dec). Not sure how much of it was due to the time of year- or just differences in the hens themselves.

Originally she had 8 chicks, but one got injured so I had to bring it and one of the others in for company. They were still sleeping together in their nest at 5-6 weeks old, which is about how old they were in these pictures. It was getting a little ... embarrassing. Like, come on guys, you're fully feathered, you do NOT need to be tucked under her. They could have stood up and carried her off!!

Click to expand...

77horses said:

When do chicks leave their mother hen? Ours are about 4 weeks old(to be exact: Peanut-30 days old, Juno-29 days old, and Suzy-28 days old) They are all still following their mother hen around during the day(sometimes wondering a short distance away to explore a little) and she still protects them(last week she attacked my brothers toy plane that landed nearby her and the chicks! LOL)

When should they start to become independent? Will it affect them if some stay in the same coop with her when they are older?
Thanks!

Click to expand...