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[Nichole1]

Hi everyone! So this weekend I plan to pick up 2 hens + their current chicks. In total its 2 hens and 11 chicks. One hen has 5 and the other has 6! Now this said, ive read that while a hen is raising chicks she doesn't lay eggs. I was wondering 1. Is that true. And 2. When might I expect them to start laying again ? Ive never had a mother hen raising chicks so I'm not sure what to expect. I also read that if you separate the hen from her chicks she might start laying again right away but I'm not sure how I feel about that? Any experience or thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance!

 

[Gallinarium]

Most hens take a while to resume laying, the time varies. Some return to laying as soon as their chicks hatch out, some wait until the chicks go their separate ways. Or anywhere in between. It depends on the breed some as well.

 

[EmilyRobb]

@Nichole1 My bantam cochins have been going through what appears to be a cycle in regards to laying eggs. First they lay eggs fertilized by one of my roosters over the course of a week or so. Then, they go broody. I remove the eggs and artificially incubate, but they still wanna be mothers anyways. Then, it seems that they stop laying for about 3-6 weeks, which accounts for the time that they would've needed to incubate and raise little chicks. With that being said, it ultimately depends on the breed. Broody breeds seem to take longer than other breeds to resume laying, but I've never had laying resume immediately regardless of any chickens I've ever had.

 

[333113]

I believe that your hens will not start laying much sooner if you remove their chicks, if that's what you are asking. Most hens lay in batches of 6-14 or so, enough to set on and raise a batch of chicks, with a few days to a few weeks between batches. You will see this cycle even in non-setters, and whether or not you pick up the eggs daily. With hens that go broody, the hen lays a batch of eggs, sets on them, then there is a pause in egg production after being broody, which can last a couple of weeks or months, depending on the breed and the time of year (usually faster in the spring and summer, slower in autumn, even slower in winter).

For breeds like Nankins where the roo and the hen both parent the chicks, the roo and hen will mate after a couple of weeks, even while they are raising the chicks. If they feel like they have enough room and the weather's good, sometimes the hen will lay a batch of eggs and set, leaving daddy roo to do the parenting.

If you don't have a roo, none of the eggs will hatch. So, if you want future chicks to hatch, you may want to keep a cockerel out of the current set of chicks to keep things going. But a roo is not necessary for the hen to produce eggs for you.

 

[aart]

Hi everyone! So this weekend I plan to pick up 2 hens + their current chicks. In total its 2 hens and 11 chicks. One hen has 5 and the other has 6! Now this said, ive read that while a hen is raising chicks she doesn't lay eggs. I was wondering 1. Is that true. And 2. When might I expect them to start laying again ? Ive never had a mother hen raising chicks so I'm not sure what to expect. I also read that if you separate the hen from her chicks she might start laying again right away but I'm not sure how I feel about that? Any experience or thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance!

Had these birds been living in the same enclosure with their chicks?
If not, putting them together could be disastrous, have a Plan B ready.
How old are the chicks?
Not sure separating the chicks from the mamas is a good idea.

Once broodies wean their chicks(anywhere from a few weeks to a few months).
another week or three might go by before they start laying again

 

[Nichole1]

I believe that your hens will not start laying much sooner if you remove their chicks, if that's what you are asking. Most hens lay in batches of 6-14 or so, enough to set on and raise a batch of chicks, with a few days to a few weeks between batches. You will see this cycle even in non-setters, and whether or not you pick up the eggs daily. With hens that go broody, the hen lays a batch of eggs, sets on them, then there is a pause in egg production after being broody, which can last a couple of weeks or months, depending on the breed and the time of year (usually faster in the spring and summer, slower in autumn, even slower in winter).

For breeds like Nankins where the roo and the hen both parent the chicks, the roo and hen will mate after a couple of weeks, even while they are raising the chicks. If they feel like they have enough room and the weather's good, sometimes the hen will lay a batch of eggs and set, leaving daddy roo to do the parenting.



I have a too and these
If you don't have a roo, none of the eggs will hatch. So, if you want future chicks to hatch, you may want to keep a cockerel out of the current set of chicks to keep things going. But a roo is not necessary for the hen to produce eggs for you.

Had these birds been living in the same enclosure with their chicks?
If not, putting them together could be disastrous, have a Plan B ready.
How old are the chicks?
Not sure separating the chicks from the mamas is a good idea.

Once broodies wean their chicks(anywhere from a few weeks to a few months).
another week or three might go by before they start laying again

Both hens and all the chicks have lived together peacefully the entire time. The chicks are roughly 2 weeks old