Do momma hens w/chicks lay eggs?

[WhetzelMomma]

I had a Q on my website from someone about a hen with chicks that she doesn't think is laying. The thought occurred to me that a momma hen probably doesn't lay eggs until she's "done" raising her chicks. Am I right?

 

[BeccaB00]

Yes you are right. Well from my experiance.

 

[pgpoultry]

Momma hen will lose interest in her chicks around 4-6 weeks and start laying again in most cases. She won't egg lay with small chicks,

sandie

 

[Mahonri]

I've noticed that my first broody of the year has stopped clucking.

Her chicks (7 week olds) have really missed that and they still try to follow her around and peep all of the time.

I'm going to put her back into the coop soon.

 

[WhetzelMomma]

Thanks, you guys! I knew there'd be someone here who'd know for sure.

 

[joebryant]

While you're on the subject, don't let anyone tell you that a nursing mother can't get pregnant. 'tain't true!
Son born Sept. 14th; daughter born one year later... Sept. 14th.

 

[WhetzelMomma]

lmao thanks!! lol

 

[orionburn]

Agree with the above, but it can take longer for her to start laying again. Ours seemed to have taken longer than 6 weeks to start laying again. We got so used to not checking for egg and then one day she wasn't out with the rest of the flock. Checked in her pen and sure enough...she was trying to sit on another clutch of 6 eggs.

 

[WhetzelMomma]

Oh, THAT'S good to know! I'll pass on the information. I think her chicks are about 4 weeks old.

 

[oesdog]

My Bertha is a strange one then - I followed what others said about the 6 weeks and put her back with the big girls - well the chicks were a bit older maybe 8 weeks! She cried for three days and it was a terrible sobbing sound - I never believed a hen could cry like that. It broke my heart so she is back with the babies and they are now getting on for 11 weeks. They are half her size and she still feeds them and clucks and drops food for them. She tries at night to put them all under her but of course they are too big so she ends up ballancing on top of them which is funny. I am at a loss as she is in no way interested in giving up being a mummy and they don;t want her to. She has no intention of laying at all!!!!!!!!!!!! So I am just waiting and waiting. Perhaps she will never stop mummying them?

Oesdog - I do know there are NO DARN EGGS!