When do mommy hens start relaying after hatching eggs

[lissalischicks]

I have a mommy hen who is caring for her 4.5 week of babies. Yesterday I noticed she was doing the yelling before she wants to lay an egg screeching. Today she was even louder and when I walked by she squatted. So... when do most mommy hens start laying eggs again and will she start to detach herself from her babies soon? When is it too early for the babies to be apart from their mom?

 

[JedJackson]

I have a mommy hen who is caring for her 4.5 week of babies. Yesterday I noticed she was doing the yelling before she wants to lay an egg screeching. Today she was even louder and when I walked by she squatted. So... when do most mommy hens start laying eggs again and will she start to detach herself from her babies soon? When is it too early for the babies to be apart from their mom?

It varies from hen to hen. Here is a thread about this topic: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-hatch-for-hen-to-start-laying-again.511624/

 

[lissalischicks]

ok thanks! i'll look at it

 

[lissalischicks]

I do have to say this process is tough to watch. I think mommy is separating herself from the babies. She doesn't call to them anymore and she walks off without them. The babies are more independent but do look to her quite a bit. She isn't mean to them or peck at them but she is definitely not as motherly as she was even compared to yesterday!

It was sad watching them go on the roosting bar. They were trying to be around mommy but she had her own agenda. I hope they get the picture soon.

 

[aart]

All sounds pretty typical to me.
4-5 weeks is not out of the range of weaning.
Is she squatted, she's gonna lay soon.

 

[lissalischicks]

Wow. I am reading this is normal but it seems so early. I read somewhere here someone talking about maybe we baby the chicks too much. (The ones we raise not raised by a hen.) I think this must be true if in nature the moms are starting to release them at 4 to 5 weeks.

Caught the mom eating oyster shells so I know she is getting ready. Don't know if I'm happy or sad now.

 

[chuckachucka]

4-5 weeks is a bit earlier than usual but the chicks must be mostly feathered in so they should be OK. If a mother hen weaned her chicks earlier than that I might want to intervene in terms of making sure they are warm enough at night.


I Think 6 weeks is a better age as they have all their feathers and some hens mother much longer than that. I have a hen who always mothers her chicks more than three months. But then when she does kick them out she is really mean about it.
Another of my hens weaned her single chick so slowly and politely that the little pullet still follows her around four month later and sits next to her when she is laying on the nest. Every mother hen is different.

 

[JedJackson]

They gradually lose interest, or sometimes it is pretty sudden. You just never know. It is not uncommon for the chicks to cry out to an unresponsive mother at that age. The school of hard knocks, I guess. But they will be alright. If they have trouble, just keep them in a separate pen in the main coop for awhile, until the older chickens are used to them. And just keep your eye on them after they are integrated. Good luck!

 

[aart]

My last broody weaned at 4 weeks, laid an egg and went back to the roost.
Chicks were fine, she would hang out with them quite a bit during the day.
Chicks were already integrated and navigated the flock with no real problems,
separating chicks not a good idea IMO. But I have lots of space and multiple(4) feed and water stations.

 

[lissalischicks]

My broody was never separated from the flock so when the chicks hatched they were already integrated with the flock. My other hens were nice to them so it wasn't a problem. I am noticing now they are treating them like one of the other hen - pecking at them when they try to steal food from them. They learned pretty fast to run away.

Mom is in the nesting box as week speak trying to lay an egg .... and the chicks are there with her so looks like so far she hasn't kicked them to the curb.