How long will a hen "mother" her brood?

[Ursuline Chick]

What a lovely story!!! You should enter it in the Chicken story contest.

@Krazyquilts Oh, I would enter it for sure, It's a great story to read, very enjoyable!! Sounds like a contest winner to me!

 

[Huntsville Saloon]

I have a BO that hatched 10 chicks for me 10.5 weeks ago. I thought they weaned their chicks around 7 weeks, but she is still a very loving, attentive mother to them. She still sleeps with them, protects them from older birds, finds food for them, etc.

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My Buff Orpington is going on 9 weeks and is still doing the same thing. They are still sleeping together on top of the hatching nest box, and haven't moved to the roosts yet. She was terribly broody and wanted to be a mama SO bad. I think she is going to milk it for all it's worth!

 

[Redhead Rae]

So, last night was the first night the chicks spent in the mobile coops with the rest of the birds. Mama bedded down in one of the nest boxes and the chicks all went into their tote. After dark we moved all of them into the mobile coops. Mama was thought to be another "nest-bedder" and went into the coop with the rest of the buffs. When we went to move the babies into another coop, we found that mama wasn't with them. She is still being a good mama during the day though. They'll be 12 weeks on Saturday.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Well the chicks are 12 weeks today and I took these pictures yesterday. She isn't sleeping with them any longer, but she does still mother them during the day.

 

[Huntsville Saloon]

Well the chicks are 12 weeks today and I took these pictures yesterday. She isn't sleeping with them any longer, but she does still mother them during the day.
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Love a good BO mama!