Hen with chicks already squatting?

[ForFlocksSake]

My Austra White has been an awesome mom to her 8 babies (3 hatched under her, 5 extra handed to her the next day). They will all be 5 weeks old tomorrow and still very much need her guidance and protection. Yesterday I noticed she started squatting when I got close and again this morning. Is it possible she could start laying again this early? What happens with her chicks when she’s laying? I worry about them mingling with the adult hens without mom around.

 

[Birnenhof]

She'll still care for the chicks. Just because she starts laying again doesn't mean she won't.
Of course, if she goes broody again, they will have to fend for themselves but by that time they usually do well as their own group.

Juveniles rarely get bullied here. Hardly ever.

 

[RubelliteRose]

Last year, my broody started laying eggs again when her chicks were 5 weeks old. She weaned them at 6 weeks old. Most of the flock ignored the chicks, but my oldest girls(4 years old) took turns babysitting the chicks while they were free ranging for the next several weeks

 

[Mrs. K]

If they are with the flock, they should be fine. They will have learned their p's and q's, and if there is enough space, they will be out of reach of the big girls quickly.

Most broody hens forget their chicks somewhere around 4-6 weeks. I did have one, that mothered her chicks for months, but she was laying at the time. She just continued to feed them, talk to them and they roosted right next to her, sometimes trying to get under her, but that is the exception.

Mrs K

 

[ForFlocksSake]

If they are with the flock, they should be fine. They will have learned their p's and q's, and if there is enough space, they will be out of reach of the big girls quickly.

Most broody hens forget their chicks somewhere around 4-6 weeks. I did have one, that mothered her chicks for months, but she was laying at the time. She just continued to feed them, talk to them and they roosted right next to her, sometimes trying to get under her, but that is the exception.

Mrs K

I still had them in a separate area of the run because the main run has gaps too large for them. They were able to squeeze through.

Yesterday mama was pacing the fence line to the main run and started pecking at the littles like she had had enough. So I took her into the main run with the adults and she hasn’t looked back. I expect her to lay today since she’s going back and forth to the nesting boxes. She went into the main coop and roosted on her own last night. The littles don’t seem bothered either. I’ll let them grow out in there like I always have with chicks.

Grateful for her services in hatching and caring for them when they were most vulnerable! She did a wonderful job.