Mother hen has abandoned her chicks

[chickenannie]

I free-range them around the farm, and she was great with them for the first 2 weeks, but now the three chicks are often alone, or running around peeping trying to find her, or they follow the other hens around for a while till they get tired.

She's a BO hen. I think it coincided with her hopping up to the roost at night with the other chickens where they couldn't reach. Prior to that she roosted on the floor of the coop with them. Since they didn't spend the night with her anymore she seems to have forgotten about them. They seem stressed out about it, understandably so. I don't know which one is their mother because by the time I noticed their abandonment, they now follow any BO hen around the yard and she has blended back in with the others.

What can I do?

 

[MissPrissy]

It is a little early but by 4 weeks most hens are done with brooding and the chicks are on their own. It can also go the opposite and the hen want to brood 8 week olds.

 

[chickenannie]

Hmmm. The chicks seem a little bit small yet. I wish she'd keep them beyond the 2-week stage.