momma hen is back to laying when should i seperate her from her chicks

[blueseal]

she started laying again yesterday. her chicks turned 4 weeks old today. is her laying a sign she wants to go back to the big flock. the chicks still sleep under her at night. what do you think.

 

[ceeceeholt]

Would like to know this as well, as I have 2 sitting now. Bump!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I am no expert, but last year I just learn from my hen, last time she kept her chicks with her till they were five weeks, then started to push them off. Eventually they went on their own and she left them to sit on a nest she'd had hidden...so, 4 weeks sounds right, she will reject the old chicks when she's ready to go broody again. Mine did trick her old clutch a little, she taught them to roost in a tree, then, once they all roosted there, she went somewhere else! They were pretty clingy.

 

[suebee]

Leave the chicks with her as long as she'll have them. Normal time frame is around 6 weeks. I have a mom who kept her chicks for 3 months.
It's hard to tell in this picture who's the mom, who's the chicks but she's the one on top!

 

[blueseal]

thanks i will let her be with them until she has had enough. hoping she goes broody again i want more chicks from my eggs.

 

[centrarchid]

When I have a hen setting another clutch while still brooding previous batch, I now remove chicks of first brood when hen begins setting. Otherwise older offspring may accompany hen while she incubates and fowl nest. If they stay with hen through hatch of subsequent brood they can be a direct threat to new chicks and hen will do nothing to protect jounger chicks.

 

[suebee]

Normally a hen will leave the chicks and won't be broody again for a few months. That's been my situation with silkies.