Mom is done with 3 week old chicks

[Ridgerunner]

I guess I just need reassurance that the chicks will turn out ok with less nurturing than I had hoped for.

I'll add my experiences. I've had two different hens wean their chicks at 3 weeks. It was warm enough day and night that they did not need heat. They were raised with the flock so the hens spent three weeks teaching the others to leave their babies alone. I have a decent sized coop and plenty of room outside. I do believe room is important.

At first the chicks were upset but they quickly learned they were on their own. They found their own food and water. During the day they avoided the other adults and the adults left them alone. At night they put themselves to bed in the coop. They slept on the coop floor at first but eventually learned to sleep on the roost without Mama showing them how. Probably at 4 to 5 months of age. They grew up to be normal chickens.

Good luck with yours.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

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.

I was giving my broody her own little mix of mash, greek yogurt, and cracked corn, with a meal worm topping when she would take her break

 

[junior67]

I was giving my broody her own little mix of mash, greek yogurt, and cracked corn, with a meal worm topping when she would take her break

Thank you

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Thank you

It's high protein and fat to help her keep some weight on her, just don't feed it to all your ladies or they'll be fat ol fluffy butts☺

 

[junior67]

It's high protein and fat to help her keep some weight on her, just don't feed it to all your ladies or they'll be fat ol fluffy butts☺

Lol. As cute as fat fluffy butts are they are cuter healthy fluffy butts!!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

My system with chicks is a bit different, now - I won't let their mommas raise the babies in the flock. I've had far too many chicks disappear, entire broods sometimes.

I have a mama hen and six 2-wk old chicks she hatched in a separate brooder house. A few days ago, I let mama and her babies out to free-range all day, kept the main flock locked in their run. She did wonderful. Stayed next to the run fence all day, and babies went in and out through the fencing. No chickens picked on them at all. All was going well, looked like they were getting along fine.

Later, I opened the gate and she led them into the run ... and all hell broke loose. Mama attacked several hens, even abandoning her babies to chase them around the far side of the run (40' x 50'). She had the whole flock in a panic and babies were so lost, calling for her and running among the flock. I caught her up and took her back out of the enclosure, and into her little brooder coop. Babies followed. But it's far too hot for mama and her chicks in that brooder hut - and I need it emptied out. So... next day, I evicted mama from the brooder coop, and took the chicks to a brooder I have in the basement.

The first night, mama returned to her brooder coop alone. Babies in my basement cried for hours, until I made them a "wooly hen" box (THANK YOU @Mrs. K ! https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...t-way-of-adding-chicks.1521710/#post-25631168 ). Put them in the box and it was instantly quiet.

Next day, mama rejoined the flock on her own with everyone free-ranging, had a bit of fuss but not bad. The babies were happily and quietly exploring their little basement brooder. When I was sure they'd forgotten their mama, I carried them out to the "schoolhouse" coop, where I have 11 more little ones same age, hatched in an incubator. They were instant friends. At twilight, I checked on mama again, and she had ensconced herself in a nesting bucket in the big coop with the flock. All 17 little ones huddled together in their safe nesting corner in the little coop.

Today, mama is back to dust-bathing and chatting with her friends, and the babies are all one big happy flock of their own. I'll integrate them into the big flock when they are 6-8 weeks old - by that time, they'll be big enough and fast enough to manage on their own, and respectful enough to learn from the older ladies and gents. And no worries about being picked off by hawks, bullied by other hens, or mama picking fights. All is well!