[Tykelad]

Hi all,
        Am still new to all this as its only my second year. My question is, how old should chicks be when mum is put back with the rest of her mates ? The mum appears desperate to get back to her mates and the chicks are coming up for 4 weeks old.

Thanks in advance.

tyke

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Tyke, I've never had a Mum with chicks, well not for many years, but I think its usually about 6-8 weeks.  But some Mum's take their chicks with them.

Joyfull and some of the others on here know more about chicks with Mum's than I do as I use an incubator!

[hillfooter]

If your chicks have been in sight of the other birds you can probably trust the mother  hen to protect and nurture them as part of the flock at 4 weeks.  Just keep your eye on them initially but I've never known other hens to attack chicks.
HF

[joyfull]

me neither and mine mix from a couple of days old - but they do still sleep in their own broody coop and are fed separately.