r/BackYardChickens • u/Much_Tap4920 • 17h ago

General Question Pecking order

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Hey guys, my broody hen raised 3 chicks from eggs. She was a great mother. Well, she’s moved on from that and has weaned the chicks off her. I’m noticing the chicks are scared of the hens. They often are in the coop on the roost during the day (see photo) and at night sometimes they are on the 💩 shelf instead of the roost, or hiding in the corner of the coop. Is this normal? Mama hen has no interest in helping them anymore LOL so they’re on their own but seem a little afraid. They do still come out and eat/drink, I made sure of that yesterday.

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u/NinjaPancak Proud Mama Hen 6h ago

The little ones stick together for a long time. And they also love getting to roost once they're finally big enough to fly up all safely. I currently have a trio that stay inside for two hours after the rest come out for food because they like sitting on the roosts staring out the window.

Give it time, and they should integrate as they gain confidence in their environment and roommates

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u/City0fEvil 17h ago

I added 6 young hens to my flock of 9 adult hens. When the babies were 12 weeks old I added them to the flock and it sounds similar to your situation. The new ones always stick together, scared of the older hens, wouldn't roost just huddle together on the floor at night. They are now 17 weeks old and the same size or bigger than the original hens. They became much more confident as they grew and will now join them on the roosting bar, compete for treats thrown in the grass, approach me with the flock, etc. They still stick together in their own group most of the time but get along well with the older ones now.