Mother hen still hasn’t weaned her 2 month old chicks

[LocalBirdEnjoyer]

My mother hen (Nutmeg) is starting to act like a normal chicken again, and is a little less protective over her chicks. She isn’t food clucking for them (as far as I know) anymore, and she’s just clucking normally in general. She isn’t, like, attacking or throwing them, but I’m starting to think I should maybe separate them, since she isn’t really mothering them anymore? Also, another thing I noticed, is that she’s crouching and putting her wings slightly out when I come really close to her. Not sure if that’s related, but it’s something.
Thoughts on this whole thing?

 

[Evadig]

My hen didn't wean till at least ten weeks. It's fine . Is the family integrated into the main flock or are they still living alone?

Your hen crouching is a sign that she wants you to mate her, she thinks you're a rooster.

Hope this helps!

 

[LocalBirdEnjoyer]

My hen didn't wean till at least ten weeks. It's fine . Is the family integrated into the main flock or are they still living alone?

Your hen crouching is a sign that she wants you to mate her, she thinks you're a rooster.

Hope this helps!

Thank you! They sleep in a dog crate inside my chicken coop with the rest of the flock at night, and during the day they’re in a separate pen away from the others. And I was thinking that her crouching was a sign that she wasn’t trying to protect her chicks from a ‘rooster’, because she’s usually pretty protective.

 

[Perris]

My mother hen (Nutmeg) is starting to act like a normal chicken again, and is a little less protective over her chicks. She isn’t food clucking for them (as far as I know) anymore, and she’s just clucking normally in general. She isn’t, like, attacking or throwing them, but I’m starting to think I should maybe separate them, since she isn’t really mothering them anymore? Also, another thing I noticed, is that she’s crouching and putting her wings slightly out when I come really close to her. Not sure if that’s related, but it’s something.
Thoughts on this whole thing?

It's normal behaviour, and it's what happens here; the broody and chicks just drift apart as they grow up, without any violence. And some of my broodies stay with their chicks longer than others - 3 months isn't unusual here.

This was an occasional spell back together as a family when the brood was 4 1/2 months old (the broody is on the left, then her 3 pullets, then her 2 cockerels, both bigger than her by this point).

Why don't you want to just let them drift apart as they would naturally? That the broody is squatting indicates she's ready to lay again, as Evadig said. If you did not have them separated from the rest of the flock, she would probably be spending more time with them instead of with her brood.

 

[LocalBirdEnjoyer]

It's normal behaviour, and it's what happens here; the broody and chicks just drift apart as they grow up, without any violence. And some of my broodies stay with their chicks longer than others - 3 months isn't unusual here.

This was an occasional spell back together as a family when the brood was 4 1/2 months old (the broody is on the left, then her 3 pullets, then her 2 cockerels, both bigger than her by this point). View attachment 3949248
Why don't you want to just let them drift apart as they would naturally? That the broody is squatting indicates she's ready to lay again, as Evadig said. If you did not have them separated from the rest of the flock, she would probably be spending more time with them instead of with her brood.

Thank you! I would let her and her chicks with the rest of the flock, but I think the other chickens would kill them, I’ve seen them do it with another chick

 

[fluffycrow]

Thank you! I would let her and her chicks with the rest of the flock, but I think the other chickens would kill them, I’ve seen them do it with another chick

For the record, I've yet to have grown birds attack any broody chicks to kill, not intentionally at least.

Even with chicks from other groups, no hen or rooster, or even pullet or cockerel has made it their mission to kill any chicks; they usually go for the broody, if she happens to be from a different group. Even then, the attack is not made with the intention to kill.

Not sure what the situation would be with "unclaimed"/incubator chicks, the reaction there might be different

 

[LocalBirdEnjoyer]

For the record, I've yet to have grown birds attack any broody chicks to kill, not intentionally at least.

Even with chicks from other groups, no hen or rooster, or even pullet or cockerel has made it their mission to kill any chicks; they usually go for the broody, if she happens to be from a different group. Even then, the attack is not made with the intention to kill.

Not sure what the situation would be with "unclaimed"/incubator chicks, the reaction there might be different

Well, I guess the situation was more that the broody and the other hens got in a fight over the chick, which made the broody run to the far side of the coop with her, but in the end, the baby died of her organs rupturing. I just really don't want a repeat of this with the chicks I'm raising now.

 

[Debbie292d]

Well, I guess the situation was more that the broody and the other hens got in a fight over the chick, which made the broody run to the far side of the coop with her, but in the end, the baby died of her organs rupturing. I just really don't want a repeat of this with the chicks I'm raising now.

That's unusual really, but so sorry!

Currently, we have 6 baby silkies about a week old now in the breeding pen with two roosters and six hens. Three hens play mom to them. When the rooster clucks, like when I just threw some raspberries in there, the babies come running with all the hens. The three hens that look over the chicks will get upset and attack even if one of the other three gets too close, but other than that, they all get along fine.

I hope that was just a fluke what happened to your chick.

 

[FrostRanger]

I would also add that I'd let this hen hatch for you again in the future, she seems to be a great mother!

But as for right now, introduce everyone back to the flock and let her be as she is with the chicks