Mother Hen leaving baby chicks

[mrswalker]

My youngest hen hatched a dozen chicks in the middle of October. We are in southern Maine and the weather has been pretty chilly the whole time. Until recently, mother hen has been great about taking care of all of the babies. Very attentive. At night, they roost in a pet carrier, to help trap their body heat a little bit better.

The nights have been below freezing, and it’s frosty and icy for most of the day. All of a sudden, she has stopped making sure her babies are with her when she runs around the yard or goes in at night. They only have their baby feathers.

Night is the most dangerous, because once she is roosting she will not look for lost babies. Last night, nine were outside without her and I had to bring the carrier to them so they could find her.

Does anyone know why she has started doing this, or whether I should do something differently with the babies? I’m trying to brainstorm how to create a spot for them outside that will keep them just warm enough to be out of danger first thing in the morning.

 

[swamphiker]

If the chicks are 6-7 weeks old, mother hens will stop caring for chicks around this age since they should be pretty much able to care for themselves at this point. You said they only have baby feathers; at this age they should be pretty much fully feathered. Do you have any photos so we can see?

You may need to help train the chicks to go inside the coop at night.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Does anyone know why she has started doing this,

She is weaning them, leaving them on their own to make their own way. I've had a couple of broody hens do that at three weeks, but that was in the heat of summer. I've had some take care of their chicks for over 2 months but most of mine wean their chicks at around or just over a month. Each one is different.

Most chicks are fully feathered around 4 to 5 weeks of age. If yours were hatched the middle of October they are at least 6 weeks old, they should be able to handle those temperatures. It is not your job to keep them warm, your job is to allow them to keep themselves warm with the down coat they are wearing. That means they need what your older chickens need, a ventilated dry area that provides good breeze protection. Predator protection is important too.

I don't know what your facilities look like. I don't know what they would do at dark if you just left them alone. You may need to provide a good place for them to spend the night and train them to use it.