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Hens of any age shouldn't fight, unless they are protecting their chicks. However, they may pick on eachother in order to arrange the 'pecking order'
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∙ 12y ago
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When are chicks old enough to leave their mother?
Many chicks are artificially incubated and have no "parents" in that sense of the word. Chicks that are hatched under a hen will remain close to the hen as part of the flock for as long as they live. Chicks introduced to the flock at about 3 or 4 months old are assimilated into the flock within hours.
My hen had six chicks in coop you removed her and chicks into another house for safety.Chicks are now 2 weeks old when can mum and chicks go back with the rest of hens?
ellielovesharry
Mother hen is pulling on the new wing feathers of her week old chicks is this normal should you separate her from chicks?
No. The hen is not trying to hurt the chick. The hen is teaching the chick to come back to her. When she does this you will notice her making a soft clucking sound. She will softly cluck and tug at the chicks wing to re-enforce the idea that the sound means "come to me".
Stuff to know about getting a hen to adopt chicks?
A hen will likely not adopt chicks unless she has chicks of the same age already. Hens will protect her nest from even the smallest chicks introduced so it is not a good idea to try to force a hen to "mother" newly hatched chicks. Keep the young chicks in the brooder box until they are older and can defend themselves. It is not the rooster they need to worry about, he will ignore them, the most damage will come from older hens establishing the pecking order of the flock. Chicks and mother can be introduced back into the flock by about 2 to 3 months. There will still be some squabbling, but the chicks are old enough and fast enough to escape the worst of the punishment. Momma hen will help them. There is not much worry from the rooster.
How old do chicks have to be to take them from their mother?
They need a mother until they grow feathers which might be in about a week, then you can let the mother be a normal hen again, but separate chicks from all birds
How old does a baby chicken need to be to leave its mum?
Many chicks never know their mother. Most chicks are artificially incubated and are raised in a brooder with other chicks their own age. Chicks hatched by a broody hen in the chicken coop often stay with "mom" until they are full grown at the age of 6 to 8 months old and will often stay with "mom" all their lives. This is basically just for companionship as the mother hen does not feed her chicks, they are born knowing how and what to eat.
Where do baby sleep?
If the brood hen is with them, they sleep under the hen. They stay safe and warm under her wings and body. Chicks raised in an artificial incubator are raised in a brooder box which maintains a constant temperature and humidity until the chicks are old enough to withstand the ambient outside/inside temperatures.
Hen take care of her young?
The hen will take care of her young to the best of her ability. Young chicks are curious and wander away from moma hen but she will round them up with soft calls. Everything is dangerous for chicks and even other hens of the flock will attack if the baby is left unattended. If the mother hen is busy saving one chick, another wayward babe can often get in trouble. Try to keep momma hen separate from the rest of the flock until the chicks are at least 6 weeks old, this helps the babies by letting them grow enough to run faster away from danger.
Do you need to remove baby chicks from mother hen?
You don't need to remove the chick from its brood hen, they will integrate into the flock when they are ready and the momma hen will protect it while it is growing. The chick does not really need the momma hen other than for protection and warmth on cold nights. The hen does not feed the chick, it knows how to feed itself from the time it emerged from the shell.
Will roosters kill baby chicks?
Its not usually the rooster you need to worry about. Most roosters just ignore the chicks. It's the other hens in the flock who will peck at the young ones. One misplaced peck will wound or stun a chick and unless the mother hen protects the little one the other hens will come in for the kill. Often the mother hen is guarding the other chicks when one gets into trouble. Whenever possible, it is best to keep the brood hen and chicks away from the other members of the flock until they are old enough to escape unwanted attention.
Can you keep your hen and chickens with the other ones?
Chicken have a social group or family called a flock. Hens and chicks can be kept with the rest of the flock but it is best to wait until the chicks are about a month old if they have been separate from the flock at hatch. Chickens also have what is called the pecking order and the other adult birds in the flock will often try to bully the new chicks and end up hurting them. When they are about a month old they are fast enough to escape back to momma hen.
What activities do chicks do?
Day old chicks eat, sleep, run around, play fight, chase bugs and scratch for seed. All this activity prepares them for life in the flock.
