Broody hens still doting on 12 week old chicks?

[Immensely_Confused]

Hi! At the end of August, two of our hens hatched a pair of chicks, and have been co-parenting since. They were slowly but very peacefully reintegrated with the flock, and everything has gone well. The hens have never fought, and the chicks are happy.
However, the hens are still very attached to the 12-week-old chicks?
One of the hens, Sage, has graduated to sleeping back in the coop at night with her friends, but still treats these almost fully grown chickens as chicks during the day. They're both larger than her.
The other one, Bobby, still sleeps with the chicks, shows them food, is loud when she can't see them, and generally sticks with them 24/7. She still makes the same vocalizations with them that she did when they were tiny, and still insists on them sleeping in the barn instead of the coop. I'm pretty sure they haven't even been roosting at night, just sleeping in a puddle on the ground.
It's not as if the other chickens have been bullying them, and there is space in the coop. The other chickens like the chicks, and have been nothing but sweet to the mother hens.
Previously, when we had broodies, they left their chicks after they were feathered out, so at about 3-7 weeks depending on time of year. Though it might be important to note that Bobby, the more attached mother hen, did kind of take care of the chicks from the other broodies after their mothers had left them. After the other hens stepped back, she helped out the teenagers.
Is this normal? When can we expect to see the hens step back, and the chicks get some independence?

 

[Shadrach]

Hi! At the end of August, two of our hens hatched a pair of chicks, and have been co-parenting since. They were slowly but very peacefully reintegrated with the flock, and everything has gone well. The hens have never fought, and the chicks are happy.
However, the hens are still very attached to the 12-week-old chicks?
One of the hens, Sage, has graduated to sleeping back in the coop at night with her friends, but still treats these almost fully grown chickens as chicks during the day. They're both larger than her.
The other one, Bobby, still sleeps with the chicks, shows them food, is loud when she can't see them, and generally sticks with them 24/7. She still makes the same vocalizations with them that she did when they were tiny, and still insists on them sleeping in the barn instead of the coop. I'm pretty sure they haven't even been roosting at night, just sleeping in a puddle on the ground.
It's not as if the other chickens have been bullying them, and there is space in the coop. The other chickens like the chicks, and have been nothing but sweet to the mother hens.
Previously, when we had broodies, they left their chicks after they were feathered out, so at about 3-7 weeks depending on time of year. Though it might be important to note that Bobby, the more attached mother hen, did kind of take care of the chicks from the other broodies after their mothers had left them. After the other hens stepped back, she helped out the teenagers.
Is this normal? When can we expect to see the hens step back, and the chicks get some independence?

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a normal when it comes to hens raising chicks. If everyone is getting along I can't see anything to worry about.
Sometimes the hen restarting egg laying triggers the broody off switch, but I've known hens take their chicks to the nest, or leave them with dad,and lay their eggs and go back to being mum for the chicks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had hens wean their chicks at 3 weeks. I've had hens wean their chicks at 3 months, about where yours are now. I haven't seen it myself but some people on here have said their broody hen stayed with the chick even after the chick was grown and laying eggs.

Each chicken has its own personality. They are not programmable bots where they all act exactly the same. You never know what a living animal will do.

Is that behavior upsetting the peace of your flock? Is it causing any problems? If it is, then you need to do something. But if not, I just don't see the problem. As long as it is peaceful and no one is getting injured I consider it a win.

12 weeks isn't all that unusual. If it goes on until spring you may have some interesting stories to tell.

 

[FrostRanger]

Sounds like you have some amazing broodies, I'd let them hatch again, they sound like absolute treasures!