How long does a broody stay with her chicks?

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

Please post how long yours stayed with their babies! Does the leaving happen very abruptly, or over the course of days or weeks? My broody has 5 week old babies and she has been amazing, but I just saw her peck 2 different babies to get them away from her while she is scratching for food. Very different from clucking to tell them she has something good. Kind of sad.

 

[sjango]

I had a broody stay with her clutch of one chick for 6 months! Other broodies’s of mine stay very close for 3 months and the chicks are fully independent by around 4 months!

 

[Molpet]

I had a first time broody dump her lone chick at 3&1/2 weeks this spring. It was 40 at night so I brought him inside. Most of mine dump the kids at 5-8 weeks. Some are gradually and some are like a switch was thrown. Sometimes the chicks leave on their own

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

I had a first time broody dump her lone chick at 3&1/2 weeks this spring. It was 40 at night so I brought him inside. Most of mine dump the kids at 5-8 weeks. Some are gradually and some are like a switch was thrown. Sometimes the chicks leave on their own

Very interesting! Have you found the the same mom generally does the same thing with each group of babies?

 

[Molpet]

Very interesting! Have you found the the same mom generally does the same thing with each group of babies?

Pretty much, first time moms are learning. Sometimes poor first time are great later. I have a turkey mom that 2 years in a row flew up in a tree and left one week olds to fend for themselves. Another turkey 2 years in a row hatched and then walked away, I traded her for tomato plants... with full disclosure.

 

[GC-Raptor]

My broody has 5 week old babies and she has been amazing, but I just saw her peck 2 different babies to get them away from her while she is scratching for food.

I've never had a broody mom but I read on I think it was Purina's website that a broody chicken mom stays with chicks for 5 weeks on average.
So your broody is average. GC

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

Mama stayed with them last night, but she moved way off to the side of the nest. This morning the babies are on the other end of the property, 100’s of feet away from her and she has been squawking for 2 hours straight but is not trying to find them. I would think she is in distress because of the continual squawk, but I realize she is probably just singing “Freedom!!”

 

[Kiraeh]

Wow, my recent broody got sick of hers so quick, three weeks and she was roosting again and ignoring them. She almost bailed at two weeks but I was able to get her to compromise and spend nights in the nest box with them.

Luckily it's been warm so they're fine overnight.

 

[Miss Lydia]

11 weeks here for my Mauve Orpington and her 2 adopted Legbar. They just turned 12 weeks and one still sleeps beside her on the roost at night.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

11 weeks here for my Mauve Orpington and her 2 adopted Legbar. They just turned 12 weeks and one still sleeps beside her on the roost at night.

I’m starting to wonder if there is a connection between the number of babies and how long mama keeps the babies? Also maybe the number of roosters who are continually fighting! We have 7 babies with either 4 or 5 of them being roosters.