Mama Chick Weaned Baby Chicks ?

[ILoveJoe]

Is this the normal time frame? This is the first batch of chicks I have let a broody hen raise so I do not know what to expect.

Broody hen hatched out 7 chicks on the 24th of September and is done with them as of this week. She is not laying yet but made it abundantly clear that she was tired of hanging out with this group of teens.

So today I let her back in with the rest of the flock and the kids are hanging out together in the other side of the coop still.

 

[bargain]

Wow, she was a quick mom huh! I've had moms hatch out for me and then put out and then I finished up the mama hen bit for them.

How warm are your nights there? You might want to see if you need to hang a warming light for them especially at night since they are so young...

Have a blessed day..

 

[Bookworm chick]

Hmmm, that does seem fast, but I guess each broody is different. I had a broody hatch 7 on August 22nd and she's still doing her mothering. It's so cute to see her with her wings spread wide over the now-large chicks at night. She was integrated back with the flock (with her chicks) when they were 2 weeks old. That might be why she's still mothering them. We had 4 pullets and 3 roos out of that hatch. We just sent the 3 roos to auction. They were creating to much unrest with the rest of the flock with their antics. Now, harmony is restored. LOL

 

[silkiechicken]

Each broody is different, some are good moms, and some are bad.

I've had a mom who didn't even take to the chicks and just sat so tight she smothered them all. Then there are others who I've heard the moms gave up at 3 weeks... and then even those who s mommy hens took months to kick the chicks from the nest. So really... it can be a toss up.

 

[SallyF]

I let a broody hatch one egg, just because I thought it probably wouldn't hatch and it gave her something to do (she was low bird in the chicken pecking order). It hatched, turned out to be a roo, and she mothered it until it was almost as big as she was. Looked a little silly to see her scratching in the yard and calling this rooster over to eat!

 

[chixie]

Quote:
I would have loved to see that

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

My little buff orpington broody (who went broody at the tender age of just 5 months old) hatched her babies on September 25 and 26'th.


She was a great broody and a great mother, teaching her three hatchlings all the things baby chicks need to know, and keeping them toasty warm in their early weeks.


We wanted to make it easier for her to rejoin her own cohort group, so in addition to putting her and her hatchlings in a large dog pen inside the hen house with the other chickens, we also began letting her out of the cage about an hour a day to re-socialize with her cohort group, beginning when the hatchlings were about 3 weeks old. (We had a heat lamp to help keep the hatchlings warm while Mom was out playing with the older birds).


Then, only 27 days after the first baby hatched, Momma rushed out the cage when I released her for her hour of playtime, and she ran into the nesting box the way that we humans do when we have GOT to go to the bathroom. She plopped herself on that nest box as quick as her little legs could take her there, and so I let the other chickens out into the yard for play time and let her sit alone in the nest box.


Next thing I know, she's coming out of the nest box and there is a warm egg where she sat.


I noticed after that, I had to force her into that cage to take care of the babies, so at day 29, I figured she must be finished with her role as momma. Now she lives 24/7 with her cohort group, and the babies still live in the dog cage inside the bigger birds coop, with a heat lamp to keep them warm at nights.


And it seems to be working out just fine.


I guess my momma bird knew exactly when it was time to move on, even before I knew.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Quote:
I'd buy every hen I could find like that With almost all young birds I only had 2 real broodies this year and I am lovin' my good Mamas, even the Polish who couldn't keep up with her babies~LOL!

 

[australorpchick]

Both of my broody silkies have only stuck with their chicks for 5 - 6 weeks. After that the chicks stay by themselves in the 2x4 chick pen in the chicken run. After 5 more weeks, the chicks joined the big chickens. Our weather is fairly mild where I live. Depending on your weather, I might bring them in if it's really cold.

 

[australorpchick]

Quote:
My roo does that with his 5 month cockerel, who's bigger than he is.