How soon after hatching will hen lay eggs again?

[NHchicks]

Does anyone know how long a mother hen will go before resuming egg laying?

My broody hen hatched 8 adorable chicks a week ago. I'm wondering what to expect about starting to lay eggs again. I'm thinking when she starts to lay, she'll need a nest box or quiet place away from the chicks. My hunch is she won't start laying until the chicks are about 6 weeks old and able to fend for themselves. Is that right?

 

[The Sheriff]

Mine kicked her chick out yesterday at five weeks and ran to the main coop and laid an egg! She is single, without kids, livin' the high life again. Her baby is raising heck in with the incubated juveniles. Everybody's happy.

 

[NHchicks]

Too funny!

I think I saw my hen grinning when she didn't have to brood on that nest anymore and got to free range with her new hatchlings.

She'll be laughing out loud when she finally ditches her grown chicks.

Laying eggs will probably be a pleasure.

And then maybe she'll start the cycle all over again.

Why does this sound familiar?

 

[TimberLine Homestead]

Same thing with my hen only the chicks were hatched November 26,27, and 28.
She is a buff orpington our best egg layer.
Very informative Thank You.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Typically, anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks. I really depends upon how long she feels the need to (s)mother the chicks. It's a hormonal thing, so best to just let this run its course.

 

[Willow2253]

I had a broody during the summer that just had one chick, and she started laying again after 3 or 4 weeks, though she was still raising her chick. The baby would just hang out and wait for her to be done. Since it’s winter now, though, you may not see eggs again from your girl again until spring.

 

[Brahmalistic Buff]

Oh, ours is just after 2 or 3 upon coming out from her nest with her chicks. Is there danger in doing this? Separate earlier than natural?

 

[NatJ]

Oh, ours is just after 2 or 3 upon coming out from her nest with her chicks. Is there danger in doing this? Separate earlier than natural?

Some hens will finish raising their chicks before they start laying eggs again.
Some hens will start laying eggs, but continue raising their chicks.
Either way is fine. I think both ways are natural and safe.

 

[Brahmalistic Buff]

Some hens will finish raising their chicks before they start laying eggs again.
Some hens will start laying eggs, but continue raising their chicks.
Either way is fine. I think both ways are natural and safe.

Thanks for a clearer view on this..

 

[Ebony Rose]

My broodiest hen (twice in the past year) has weened her chicks mere days before she resumed laying eggs. Interesting observation, this hen went from being at the bottom of the pecking order to becoming lead hen after her first brood of chicks and maintained her status through her second brood.
I've had broody hens in the past that didn't ween until the chicks were nearly adults.
I've also had one other broody hen that weened at 3-weeks (twice) and literally left it up to 'daddy' to provide additional parental support such as tucking them under a wing at night... no seriously! Your heart hasn't melted until you've seen a rooster MOTHER his young. In fairness, this hen was an excellent mother but she was not physically able to tend to the growing chicks due to her VERY tiny size. She was perhaps half as big as a typical bantam and the young simply hadn't the room to continue living under her wing. Their daddy was a full size guy and the eggs she stole from her full sized 'sisters' to brood had full sized chicks.

It seems that each hen weens her chicks in her own way and in her own time.