Mom is done with 3 week old chicks

[lv9777]

I know that hens can be done parenting at different times, but this seems VERY young. Up until now this first time broody has been a great mom. But she is done parenting. She no longer feeds them or comes when they call for her and today she pecked one away from the food. She also laid an egg yesterday, so she is really done. The problem is that the chicks are not done with her and seem clearly distressed. They do still sleep on the ground with mom. However, this Cochin has never roosted so I am not sure she will teach them this. Everyone is integrated (3 chicks and 3 hens).
I guess I just need reassurance that the chicks will turn out ok with less nurturing than I had hoped for.

 

[junior67]

I know that hens can be done parenting at different times, but this seems VERY young. Up until now this first time broody has been a great mom. But she is done parenting. She no longer feeds them or comes when they call for her and today she pecked one away from the food. She also laid an egg yesterday, so she is really done. The problem is that the chicks are not done with her and seem clearly distressed. They do still sleep on the ground with mom. However, this Cochin has never roosted so I am not sure she will teach them this. Everyone is integrated (3 chicks and 3 hens).
I guess I just need reassurance that the chicks will turn out ok with less nurturing than I had hoped for.

my Cochin mom was done around 3.5 weeks with hers. She does roost so she started roosting again. I tried to get them to go up with her (she started around 3 weeks with going up to roost but the first night she jumped back down with them, the 2nd she stayed up and one made it up with her but not the 2nd so I helped him. Then she just stayed up and they didn't go up. I put them up a couple nights then just let them be). The slept in the nest box for a bit but then 2 others went broody and then their mom went broody again so nest boxes were full at night. They now roost with the rest. They are 8 weeks old now and do great with the rest of my flock. I have 7 hens, including their mom, that are a bit over a year and 1 roo that is the same age. Then 12 that are 12 weeks old and then those 2 (then other babies with their moms still) and they are just part of the crew new and are fine.

It seemed super early to me so I was debating on if I would let mom raise chicks again and someone told me that she felt her job was done and where they are integrated with the rest of the crew it pretty much was so they wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I have a hen that is frequently broody and weens her chicks at about 3 weeks of age. At about 2 weeks of age, she's taking them up to roost, at 2 1/2 weeks of age, she starts 'ignoring them' at bedtime, and by 3 weeks of age, she makes it clear that they're WEENED. She then typically takes a breather from motherhood for a couple of weeks, packs in some groceries and fattens herself up a bit, lays 2 or 3 eggs... and goes broody again.
Actually, it's a good sign that your hen is weening them at 3 weeks, it means that she is CONFIDENT that's she's taught them all they need to know about being chickens and has established them a starting place in the pecking order within the flock (chicks inherit their mother's social status until they're a bit older). These younglings will typically isolate themselves a good distance from the main flock for a few weeks after weening, but will start hanging out with your rooster and hens by about two to two and a half months of age. Your girl has done a great job!
What you can do for hen is to ensure she gets some high calorie, high protein extras to help her regain her condition for the next couple of weeks.
Congratulations.

 

[lv9777]

Thank you! I will try not to worry. My last broody was the other extreme and raised her chicks till 14 weeks. Glad to know yours were fine in the end.

 

[lv9777]

I have a hen that is frequently broody and weens her chicks at about 3 weeks of age. At about 2 weeks of age, she's taking them up to roost, at 2 1/2 weeks of age, she starts 'ignoring them' at bedtime, and by 3 weeks of age, she makes it clear that they're WEENED. She then typically takes a breather from motherhood for a couple of weeks, packs in some groceries and fattens herself up a bit, lays 2 or 3 eggs... and goes broody again.
Actually, it's a good sign that your hen is weening them at 3 weeks, it means that she is CONFIDENT that's she's taught them all they need to know about being chickens and has established them a starting place in the pecking order within the flock (chicks inherit their mother's social status until they're a bit older). These younglings will typically isolate themselves a good distance from the main flock for a few weeks after weening, but will start hanging out with your rooster and hens by about two to two and a half months of age. Your girl has done a great job!
What you can do for hen is to ensure she gets some high calorie, high protein extras to help her regain her condition for the next couple of weeks.
Congratulations.

I had not thought about that. I will give her some xtra protein snacks. I did notice the chicks hanging together on the outskirts of the flock. Glad to know that is normal as well.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

In my experience hens will leave chicks at different times, I'm guessing due to temperature. In late springtime my most experienced hen weaned her chicks at 4 weeks, and in the late autumn she stayed with them till they were 9 weeks old and bigger than she was!

 

[junior67]

What you can do for hen is to ensure she gets some high calorie, high protein extras to help her regain her condition for the next couple of weeks.
Congratulations.

What are some things that I can give that are high colorie, high protein? as I said mine was broody and her chicks are 5 weeks old and she is broody once again and has been for about a week. I have eggs in the incubator that were set right about when she went broody so not really trying to break her but I do kick her off the nest 1-4 extra times a day (along with her one time she gets off) to try to get her to eat more to help maintain a bit more weight. She never 100% put back on what she lost the first time so don't really want her losing more this time around.

 

[Ebony Rose]

My girl is especially fond of egg yolks, sardines (packed in oil for the extra calories), and canned mackerel. Before Covid, I was stocking canned mackerel at a price of 3 cans for $1 (U.S. Dollar), and one can is enough to last a few days worth of extras. The sardines cost a bit more, but their caloric content and amino-acid profile are better. Can't go wrong with an egg yolk, cooked or raw; perfect amino-acid profile, but low calorie.

 

[Ebony Rose]

In my experience hens will leave chicks at different times, I'm guessing due to temperature. In late springtime my most experienced hen weaned her chicks at 4 weeks, and in the late autumn she stayed with them till they were 9 weeks old and bigger than she was!

That's a great observation and one I hadn't considered as I live very close to the equator and it's hot and humid year round, both day and night. It's a rare day indeed to have the temperature below the 80*F mark here. My momma-hen doesn't need to provide extra heat for her babies.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had a hen done with her chicks at 2 weeks. It was summer. Funny thing is, 2 hens who where old, but never mothers took over the job. That was sweet. I also had a hen that hatched baby ducks, but at 2 weeks realized they were ducks and not chicks, and beat them up to wean them.