Found my lost hen, but will she bring her clutch home?

[Morrigan]

I always love the stories where a missing hen shows up with a brood of chicks in tow. Your Peck has some good instincts. Do all the chicks look like they are from her eggs, or were your other hens piling on? Would love to see pictures if you have them.

 

[RosiePosey]

I always love the stories where a missing hen shows up with a brood of chicks in tow. Your Peck has some good instincts. Do all the chicks look like they are from her eggs, or were your other hens piling on? Would love to see pictures if you have them.

It's hard to say for certain if they're all hers so far, they look like they could be! She's an Australorp and our Rooster is a Barred Rock. All the chicks are black with bits of white. We have another Australorp and a BSL so they would have black chicks too... I'm not sure what the chics would look like with a Barred Rock Roo (we have white leghorns, a brown leghorn, and a Barred Rock hen who all lived in the same area as she did). Here's Peck and her babies!

 

[Perris]

they're gorgeous!

 

[no fly zone]

Cute little guys

 

[aart]

It's hard to say for certain if they're all hers so far, they look like they could be! She's an Australorp and our Rooster is a Barred Rock. All the chicks are black with bits of white. We have another Australorp and a BSL so they would have black chicks too... I'm not sure what the chics would look like with a Barred Rock Roo (we have white leghorns, a brown leghorn, and a Barred Rock hen who all lived in the same area as she did). Here's Peck and her babies!

HolyBucketfuls of Chicks!!
Did she bring them to the coop?

 

[Shadrach]

All the broody hens here have returned to their tribe/flock coop with their chicks.
If she is a junior hen then she may want to leave the introductions until the chicks are anything up to two months old. The hens pick the time when they think the chicks will cope best.
Getting them into the coop when the hen does decide to return can be a bit of a mission. Usually here it takes two or three attempts on consecutive days. Ideally you should be there when this happens. Some hens will get a few in and those that won't follow get left outside. I put them in in such cases. You need to watch out for mother when and if you put them in because the chicks are liekly to give distress calls if you handle them and that should bring mum out in full battle order.
You say you free range and that means the rooster knows where she is. The mother hen may introduce the chicks to the rest of the flock while free ranging. This helps later when she returns to the coop.

 

[Morrigan]

It's hard to say for certain if they're all hers so far, they look like they could be! She's an Australorp and our Rooster is a Barred Rock. All the chicks are black with bits of white. We have another Australorp and a BSL so they would have black chicks too... I'm not sure what the chics would look like with a Barred Rock Roo (we have white leghorns, a brown leghorn, and a Barred Rock hen who all lived in the same area as she did). Here's Peck and her babies!

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I love the picture. It looks like Peck spent some time building up quite a clutch before she got down to sitting. I wonder if there were any unhatched eggs or if she went 16 for 16 on the hatch.

 

[Criticalicious]

Looks like momma is giving you the evil eye. I bet she's a fierce one.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Aww! I had chickens named Oreo, Henrietta, and Nugget!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

She's an Australorp and our Rooster is a Barred Rock. All the chicks are black with bits of white.

With a Barred Rock father the the chicks will all be barred when they feather out regardless of which hen is the parent. Since the chicks are all black they should all wind up being black barred. That assumes he is a true Barred Rock and not a mix.