When can you separate the mother hen and the chicks?

[zhutson789]

So we have a silkie hen that mothers 5 chicks. They’re about 3 weeks old now. Are you able to separate the mother from the chicks after a certain amount of time?

 

[ackie]

You can separate them whenever you want if you provide them a heat lamp to stay warm, just like hatching eggs on your own without a hen. I believe its roughly 100 deg at birth and then 5 degrees less each week? But you can tell for your specific chicks by seeing if they cuddle together under the lamp (too cold) or hang out at the edges of the enclosure (too hot). Otherwise, I tend to leave them together until the babies clearly arent sleeping under her anyway, and then give them a heat lamp anyway to be safe (unless it's hot out).

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

Usually the hen will decide for herself when to “wean” them. Mine were about 4 weeks old this summer when mama hen had enough.

If you want to separate them, I’d go by the same rules as if they were raised in a brooder. They need to be fully feathered and acclimated to the temperatures you are getting outdoors since they won’t be getting heat from mama.