Broody hen laying eggs already?

[HollyParks]

My hen has her second little clutch of chicks that she has raised and they are about 4 weeks old now. Yesterday I went to check on her and the chicks and I found that she has laid an egg. It seems pretty early to start laying again. Last time she didn’t lay for months after hatching and raising chicks… though it was Fall going into the Winter.

Should I be worried about her neglecting the babies? They are all in the coop but seperated from the rest of the flock. They free range in the afternoon with the flock and everyone minds the babies and the hen well.

 

[sourland]

At four weeks old, the chicks should be fully feathered and capable of being on their own. Some hens wean chicks early, but she will very likely continue to care for them.

 

[HollyParks]

At four weeks old, the chicks should be fully feathered and capable of being on their own. Some hens wean chicks early, but she will very likely continue to care for them.

The babies are t fully feathered quite yet, but they are close. She was such a good mom last summer/fall and cared for those offspring for a long time. She still is such a good mom but tries to get away from them to lay. It just seems so early.

 

[sourland]

She still is such a good mom but tries to get away from them to lay. It just seems so early.

Longer daylight period now has probably sparked the onset of a new laying cycle.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I had a broody hen start laying 2-1/2 weeks after she hatched. I could tell it was her egg as she was my only green egg layer. She weaned those chicks a few days later at 3 weeks of age. It was in the heat of summer and I have a lot of room. The hen had spent three weeks teaching the others to leave her babies alone. Those chicks dd not have any problems dealing with the flock or the weather.

I had a different hen wean her chicks at three weeks also but I don't know when she started laying again. Neither of these hens "neglected" her babies. They weaned them when they thought they were ready. They were ready, the chicks had no problems growing up with the flock.