Broody hen done w/chick?

[andalusn]

Tonight while the horse shoer was finishing up in the barn the two broody hens w/chicks in tow... were almost under foot

Finished up with the horses and put them away. Then when I went to lock up the chickens I noticed one of the peeps in his pen looking sort of lost.. One hen was in her box with her two peeps and the other box was empty. There I am wondering heck, where did she go???? I open the hen house door and count. Yep, one extra ... While I am standing there with the door open her little one that is coming up on 6 weeks old is making small noises and she is looking a little confused but not getting down from the roost. I made an executive decision and picked her up and relocated her to the nursery pen but now I wonder if I have a new issue on my hands. The hen started laying last weekend and she's starting to hang with her roo .. sure hope she is not getting ready to abandon the chick. I almost considered catching it and putting it in the hen house but it's really not setup for chicks. Anyone else have a hen do this?

 

[jenjscott]

If she is laying again, she is probably through. At six weeks, if the others tolerate it, I'd get the chick in with the flock.

 

[squeakyballs]

When are they normally done with them?

 

[andalusn]

The main group was locked up all day due to schedule issues and did not get out until I got home from work so Ms Broody hen spent the day with her chick and when I got home I let everybody out and left the hen house (people) door open. When it was time to bed down "everbody was in the hen house including my other hen with two chicks. I went ahead and hung a feeder of chick feed and put a water container down at their level and shut the door. Everybody is trying to figure out where they fit. I guess some remodel is requried this weekend to add another roost for the chicks and a hen. The smallles chick really wants to sit with mom and she insists on roosting next to Gus, I guess it will all get decided sometime after dark. I will check on them again before bed.

 

[andalusn]

Guess that hurdle had been crossed.. Night number 2 that everybody went into the hen house and stayed as a group. It's funny to see the one hen sitting on the roost with the 6 week old chick inbetween her legs. Kind of a tight fit. The other hen seems to stilll want to be slightly off by herself and is sitting in the edge of a nest area with a chick (7 wks) under each wing. Now to give some thought to where to locate the chick feed. They really are not interested in the feeder and forage during the day with the older birds and they do eat the cracked corn and some layer pellet.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

It is funny how hens treat their chicks. Some kick them from the nest early and do not want anything to do with the chick after that.

I have a silver laced cochin Sylvia who hatched three chicks last October. I have taken the roo from her for processing, but she still, STILL she has those pullets follow her around AND sleeps with them tucked under her. It is very funny to see as the pullets (Blueberry and Marionberry) are as big as she is - plus all three are laying.

 

[paul65]

I had a little banty mut hen that went broody all the time, she came up missing when i found her she had a nest under a bush with 12 eggs only 3 hached after 3 weeks she stop taking care of
her chicks that nite i go to check on her and the chicks she was on the roost and the roo was on the floor with the chicks under him. he took care of them for another 3 weeks great roo.