broody laid an egg..

[kittykorat]

my broody hen has 6 chicks, almost three weeks old. This morning she laid an egg. She still gathers the chicks at night and sleeps with them in her nest box, but in the morning she jumps out of the chick kennel and hangs with the big girls. Does this mean she's just about done being mother hen?

 

[CalebtheChicken]

If the chicks are only 3-weeks old the mother should still be very watchful of them, it may be possible that the hen's breed isn't a very good mothering breed, or if she's a first time mom, she may still be learning the ropes to mother hood.

 

[kittykorat]

she is a 9 month old EE. First time broody. The chicks are in her broody pen which is her nest box inside a dog kennel, inside a baby XT gate. This is set up inside the run. she can and does jump out everyday, but seems to stay close enough to see the chicks. I was surprised to see en egg in her nest box today. I know it was hers, she's our only blue egger.

 

[CalebtheChicken]

Then it sounds like she still cares for them, she may just need a brake from them ever once in a while.

But I have no idea why she would lay an egg...

 

[Southernbelle]

My Silkies would usually start laying again when their chicks were about 4 weeks old. There's a difference between "caring for the chicks" and "letting the chicks hang out near her." By 3-4 weeks, most mama's have the chicks in the latter phase, where they cuddle with the chicks at night, but they don't show them food anymore and they don't fight their battles for them anymore, but the chicks still spend most of their time with mama.

After laying for about a month, my Silkies would go broody again, so by this time her chicks would be about 8 weeks old and by that time - they're on their own.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

This morning I found an egg in the maternity coop! It made me go check the calendar to see how old those chicks really are! They are only 4 weeks old. Mama is a blue splash orp and it's her first time brooding and she is a wonderful mama.
Splash spent one night in the big coop with her babies just last week but then returned them to the nursery after that. There didn't seem to be any problem and she has access to either one. They sleep tucked in all around her in a circle.
Last year we had an EE brood and she kept the chicks for 8 weeks and started laying and rejoining the group after the 8 weeks. The chicks were their own free-range group but shared the big coop at night after that.