Do broodies abandon their chicks?

[TJAnonymous]

I have 3 broodies (Black Australorps) who have been collectively raising 6 chicks together. All of the broodies are 1st time mothers. I noticed about a week ago that the broodies stopped paying close attention to the chicks. For example, they would walk off and if a chick didn't follow, it was like "oh well... Too bad." Then I noticed that instead of all 3 broodies jointly working together, it became just ONE broody who was looking after the chicks. Tonight I noticed that even she seems to have abandoned them. It is nearly dusk. I still have a few random chickens hanging around outside the coop but all of the broodies are inside and up on HIGH roosts where the chicks could never follow. Until tonight at least 1 broody has always stayed in a ground level nesting box with the chicks. Needless to say, all the chicks are outside the coop just running around unattended. Is this normal that a broody would stop mothering her chicks after 3 weeks?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That sounds normal. They'll wean them much sooner in warm weather. They no longer need to be kept warm and they already know how to find food and water.
Do the chicks sleep with any of the hens at night?

 

[Ebony Rose]

I have had a very loving hen brood chicks several times and she always weened them at about 3 weeks of age. I live in a warm climate. Once they're up and eating, drinking and managing to 'climb' up and down the 'furniture' this hen would cut them loose and let them grow up without her intervention.
As an aside, her chicks were always fully accepted by the flock and didn't experience the pecking order issues that other hens have had with their chicks integrating. I don't know if one has anything to do with the other; just an observation.

 

[Fallenone05]

My broody birds tend to wean their chicks around 5-6 weeks and that's a pretty consistent age for my birds. Some birds brood for months, until their babies are full size, and some stop around 3-5 weeks. Each bird is different.

 

[Lollychicken]

If you are worried just make sure the chicks have a safe area to sleep (in a corner of the pen) or somewhere they can feel safe and huddle up together

 

[TJAnonymous]

Thanks everyone! I'm not sure if the chicks are sleeping alone tonight or if one of the broodies came down to sleep with them. It's currently pouring rain and I wasn't going to get soaked in the process of looking... I will check them in the morning.

However this does bring up a new question. I have a game hen whom I have kept penned up as she has 8 chicks. They are also a little over 3 weeks old. Maybe I should let her out and see how she does? I had to keep her penned away from the others because she would attack me or anything that got close to her babies. Her babies can easily get through the fence that separates her from the others (it's 2x4 welded wire) so they have integrated with the flock easily... Mama game hen is the only one I have to worry about.... I thought they didn't wean chicks until they were over 5 weeks old.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There are no hard and fast rules as to what age they will wean them. But IMO, it is best to put a broody and chicks with the flock earlier than later. When she is still very protective, the rest of the flock will learn to leave them alone and accept them as flock mates.

 

[aart]

I had to keep her penned away from the others because she would attack me or anything that got close to her babies. Her babies can easily get through the fence that separates her from the others (it's 2x4 welded wire) so they have integrated with the flock easily

How does she react when they do that?

 

[TJAnonymous]

How does she react when they do that?

She clucks to them and paces the fence.... Although she is much less stressed about it than she used to be. I had a squirrel that made the mistake of entering her pen. It was actually trying to get away from me and thought her pen was an escape route. She turned that squirrel upside down.... It was actually hysterical and a little impressive.... Of course she has never been able to reach me but she has tried to attack me through the fence at least a dozen times. I had to put her waterer on a chain and lower it into her pen because I couldn't even refill her water without her flipping out...even though I wasn't inside the pen. As I said, she has calmed down a little recently... I've also noticed that she will occasionally attack her chicks. Not seriously hurt them but definitely make them cry out and run from her. I assumed this was her trying to wean them....

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Nearly all of my birds are weaning at 3 weeks this year because they're desperate to start a new nest. Must be because of how warm it is.

Last year it was closer to 5-8 weeks for each broody