They're acting like baby chicks..??

[KikiDeAnime]

Our 5, 14 week old Polish are acting like baby chicks around our mother hen. Every time she calls to her 2 baby chicks to come eat what she found, the Polish run over as well.

She raised them but shouldn't they want to be away from her??

 

[slordaz]

Our 5, 14 week old Polish are acting like baby chicks around our mother hen. Every time she calls to her 2 baby chicks to come eat what she found, the Polish run over as well.

She raised them but shouldn't they want to be away from her??

Chickens will be chickens and she did raise them lol, anytime a chicken calls theres food the others come running

 

[AuntieWeasel]

Oh, food trumps everything. I've seen my lowliest bird pluck a treat right out of the beak of the dominant hen. Chooks are greedy by nature.

 

[chickens really]

My Silkie raised Speckled Sussex Chicks and she was still tidbittng for them at 20 weeks old..They still cuddled up to her too.

 

[centrarchid]

My late season broods tend to stay with hens much longer. It is the hen that changes rather than the chicks. Earlier in the season the hen is motivated to produce additional broods so she weans previous broods as early as she can without compromising their survival too much. With mine that is at about 5 weeks. Hens with chicks now are not likely to produce an additional clutch as they are also in molt, an additional stressor to raising chicks. The hen then invests in what she already has going. My hens are more likely to prolong brood care when brood is still large in number.