A “Big Momma” of a Scare
One of the challenges of having chickens is in keeping them safe, especially at night when most predators hunt for food. To address this, our coop on the farm has an automatic door that closes just before dusk. The chickens are familiar with this routine and will safely tuck themselves inside before the door closes and night falls. Unfortunately, last week there were several raccoons that were able to reach the chickens before the door locked.
The next morning, we looked at the flock to see which chickens were lost and noticed one of our hens, lovingly named ‘Big Momma’, was nowhere to be found. Earlier this year, Big Momma gave birth to seven baby chicks and every day since then she had protectively watched over them, never straying too far. We had marveled at her instinctive and diligent mothering skills! Her absence was noticed immediately as the chicks were now alone and seemed a bit confused as to where she was. Though they were old enough to survive without her, we couldn’t help but feel devastated by their sudden loss. We love the entire flock but Big Momma and her chicks hold a special place in our heart - they were the first eggs to hatch this year! Feathers found nearby confirmed our worst fear, Big Momma was gone.
We were about to officially count her among the missing when we noticed a few hens off to the side. To our surprise, a closer inspection revealed one of them to be Big Momma! At first, we couldn’t figure out why she had left her chicks. They even attempted to follow her but she was no longer interested. This was a big change from the devoted mother we had seen for weeks!
Scratching our heads, we took some time to think about what could be causing this shift. We then realized the raccoon incident must have perfectly coincided with the window in which Big Momma would have naturally left her grown baby chicks. Most hens leave their chicks after 6-8 weeks and it had been exactly 8 weeks since the date they hatched. It just so happened that the morning after the attack was the morning Big Momma decided her chicks were old enough to survive without her help. She had taught the baby chicks all they needed to know!
We were so relieved to see Big Momma alive and well. After all, even when you’re ready to brave the world alone, it’s always nice to know ‘Mom’ is not too far off.
Spring and Summer are the most common seasons for egg laying – the days are longer and the daylight encourages egg production. Big Momma will likely take a few more weeks of rest from ‘mothering’ and will then begin to lay and hatch her next round of eggs, eventually raising a whole new group of baby chicks! We also have two more hens on eggs as we speak. Stay tuned for updates on Big Momma and all the chicks at Valentines Farm, we promise to include pictures!