MOm already has baby chicks (12 days old) up on roost

[Mommysongbird]

is this normal???

I gave one of our broody hens some eggs to hatch and she hatched out 5 babies and now just 12 days later, she has them up on the roost, not the bottom one, but the top!!

 

[rudimyers]

Stupid question, but how on earth are they getting up there? Do you have ramps going from one roost to the next?

 

[Moonkit]

If the babies have gotten their wing feathers in (normally @ a week - week and a half), they can manage short hops upwards of up to 2-3 feet. I wouldn't expect to see them flying across a yard or anything, but I think that managing a short hop upwards on a normal roosting poke probably isn't beyond them.

 

[rudimyers]

Ohhhhh, I didn't realize that was possible. I am a new chicken person. We started by buying six month old pullets. Our most recent batch were a few weeks old, and we kept them in the chicken/rabbit hutch until they got old enough to integrate into the real coop.

 

[Mommysongbird]

I had the same question. Four of them were on top (there are 3 poles) and one was walking back and fourth on the middle one.

I don't know how they got up there????

 

[Mommysongbird]

Thanks Moonkit. We raised all of our girls in the house until they were around 3 months old or so, so this is new to me. I learn something new every day. LOL

 

[mamabigbird]

My broody hatched out 2 chicks on May 24th. I kept them in a section of the pen separated from the others but visible to each other.
At 4 weeks I opened up the barrier and that night they were up on the top roost with momma. Six feet up and about two feet above the middle roost. I thought that was amazing, but 12 days????? I would have been freaked out.

By the way, does anyone know how long hens protect and nurture their young'uns?
My hen is still clucking and fussing over them and never leaves them. She still cuddles up with them on the roost and even lets one sleep on top of her back.

 

[Moonkit]

My broody hatched out 2 chicks on May 24th. I kept them in a section of the pen separated from the others but visible to each other.
At 4 weeks I opened up the barrier and that night they were up on the top roost with momma. Six feet up and about two feet above the middle roost. I thought that was amazing, but 12 days????? I would have been freaked out.

By the way, does anyone know how long hens protect and nurture their young'uns?
My hen is still clucking and fussing over them and never leaves them. She still cuddles up with them on the roost and even lets one sleep on top of her back.

Pretty much until 1) She decides she's done. There have been people here on the forums posting pictures of hens still mothering pullets who are nearly ready to lay. or 2) The babies decide they're done being mothered. Some will naturally become more independent.. similar to how a parrot baby will wean itself in time. I hand raised a sun conure and one day, he ate half his meal and decided he was done with formula (this was after nibbling on seeds and pellets in addition to his formula for a while). or 3) You take the babies away and house them elsewhere.

Edit: Keep in mind that hen-raised babies will mimic the hen.. if she gets up on the roosting pole, they have a pretty good incentive to find a way up there with her.