Hatching Eggs to Laying Hen: A 2024 Guide to Chicken Development under a Mother Hen

The Fascinating Journey of a Chicken’s Life from Chick to Laying Hen ~ A Brief Overview

Chickens have a pretty exciting life journey. They hatch from an egg to become full-fledged laying hens (if female).

A Chicken comes from an egg, as you may already well know. We will not be discussing roosters or rooster chicks for this post. We will focus purely on the female chicken and her chicks.

It all starts with them hatching out from their eggs, and in the first few weeks, they need some serious TLC (tender loving care) – warmth and protection.

Here are some chicks that hatched out this week on my farm. The Silky Frizzle Hen is not their Biological Mother; she hatched the eggs.

As they grow, they start exploring and showing off their unique personalities. Around 5-6 months later, they hit maturity, and if born female, they go from chicks to being called pullets, then finally maturity called hens. At or before maturity, they might start laying eggs.

If Roosters, they may have another life journey depending on circumstances. Do not be disappointed; another post discusses Hatching Roosters to full-grown breeding roosters or for preparing fried chicken. Here on our farm, we have plenty of room for roosters and no laws (at the time of writing) to stop us from keeping them. It’s essential to check your local council rules to see if they allow the keeping of roosters; this is especially important to check before you start.

Chickens are social animals and thrive in flocks. Keeping chickens with other chickens is essential. Never raise chickens alone. You will have more success if your chickens are raised with other chickens. Any herd or flock animal thrives in the company of others; alone, they can be aggressive, sulky, or die. Be kind to animals and let them have company for this reason.

Chickens enjoy scratching the ground for insects and seeds.

This is another of our hens with only one chick; she is a new Mother. 🙂

In a farm setting, chickens provide eggs, meat, and/or replacement chickens.

Proper care involves providing a balanced diet, protection from predators, and a habitable enclosure.

As a backyard chicken fancier, you may be interested in various breeds or just one breed; it’s essential to consider each breed’s specific characteristics and needs individually, especially if you have a challenging environment like we do here on the farm. We have an extreme variance of temperatures and windy conditions.

As said earlier, chickens are social creatures and love hanging out in flocks.

They’re into scratching the ground for goodies like insects and seeds.

In our farm setup, they give back by laying eggs. And some farms for providing meat also.

Taking good care of them involves a balanced diet, protection from predators, and a cozy coop.

Brief Descriptions.

More can be found by visiting further blogs. Links are included below:

Day 1 – Hatching the Hatchling Chick

Hens may push one egg out of a clutch during incubation to regulate temperature and humidity levels. This behavior helps ensure the remaining eggs receive adequate warmth and moisture for proper development. Additionally, it can prevent overcrowding within the nest, which could lead to poor hatch rates or increased risk of contamination. Overall, it’s an instinct for the hen to optimize conditions for the eggs most likely to hatch successfully.

If undisturbed, the mother hen will not usually leave the nest or let the newly hatched chicken see what’s out there from under her body until the rest of the eggs have hatched. The hen likes to sit quietly until all the chickens have hatched. If you observe the hen, she appears to be in a trance or Zen-like state.

When a human ‘checks’ on the progress of newly hatched chicks you may see early chicks start exploring ahead of the rest of the clutch.

Once the chick is up and pops its tiny head out of the egg, it explores its environment with the mother hen’s help. The mother hen prefers to keep her chicks safe until they are all hatched out.

Once fully hatched, she will guide her brood (chicks) to food, water, and scratchings, where she scratches at the earth, teaching her chicks to explore for food by digging the dirt with her feet and scratching both legs behind her. She makes a constant ‘bok-cluck-bok-bok-cluck’ sound rapidly as though tense or stressed. This is how a mother hen educates her babies to understand her ‘talk’ and to (hopefully) obey her. Which is crucial for chick survival. It can be pretty interesting to watch. A mother hen is remarkably smart.

The mother hen scratches vigorously at the ground, giving her newborns directions via tone, cues, and movements. It is common for human observers to think she will hurt her chicks, but she will not. It may look messy, dangerous, or even vicious, but really, it’s pretty safe. The only time something wrong happens where a mother may crush her newborns is if the Chick already has a weakness or malformation of any kind. It’s called ‘Nature’s way’ or ‘Mother Nature’. She doesn’t allow weaknesses in breeding, strengthening the flock for survival of the fittest. It’s also why there is a Pecking Order. (This Link takes you to another of my posts).

Do not do this! Don’t be like me!
When I have disturbed a hen with chicks by checking how many eggs or chicks are underneath her, a newborn independent little chick refuses to stay under the protection of its mother hen. This happens a lot on my farm because I am curious to discover what the hen and the chicks are up to – it’s human nature to be curious around animals. It is the best way to learn.

What makes a hen leave her nest?

1. Thunderstorms
2. Bad weather: too cold, too hot, too wet, heavy rain, hail
3. People interfering with the nest or roughly moving the hen
4. Predators

The chickens (like all babies) can be brave or scared; some push forward bravely seeking the big-wide-world while others hold back and seek the comfort of their mother. The brave chickens are usually the bigger of the clutch, and the timid ones are usually smaller. The bigger chicks often have better survival ratios than the petite timid chicks.

It is perfectly okay that she has left the eggs, as she will often return to finish hatching the rest of the chickens. Sometimes, she will ultimately leave the nest, abandoning the rest of the eggs. Oftentimes, when this has happened on inspection of the eggs, they were either unfertilized or dead in the eggs or not developed enough for her to want to stay. The hen instinctually knows when the eggs are not going to hatch. As the chickens develop they make sounds which the mother hen answers to. It truly is great to observe.

More often, she will sit until all the eggs have hatched, and then she will take her babies out to explore their environment and eat food that she finds for them. They do not need water immediately or even on day one or two but seek it out after a few days. I have always provided baby chickens food and water from day one but have not seen the hens introduce water too early.

Further to the Tip: If you provide water for your new chicks, ensure the water is tepid, not cold, and not straight from the water supply. Providing chicks with room temperature or tepid water, especially during cold weather, ensures their well-being. Chicks can be sensitive to cold water, especially extremely cold. If the water is too cool, the chickens can die. Drinking icy water can lower the chicks’ body temperature, leading to health issues or even death, particularly in young or newly hatched chicks.

The Hatching Process ~ Initial Care Requirements: Warmth and Nutrition.

Weeks 1-6 – Brooding Stage

The mother hen provides all the warmth the newly hatched chickens need and can seek out nutrition for them.

If you want to assist your hen (especially if she is not free-range), you may provide chicken feed, usually a chicken starter purchased in a bag from a produce store or retail supplier.

Focus on nurturing and growth during this critical period.

Weeks 7-18 – Grower Stage

At the Grower Stage, you can provide Grower Feed from a bag from your local produce store. This feed is specifically nutritionally balanced for chickens between the ages of 7 and 18 weeks.

This transition to grower feed takes the chickens from feather development to the next stage of preparing the bird for adolescence and future egg production. There is a lot of growing and changing at this stage, so you must provide all the nutrients the chicken needs to develop into a healthy individual.

Some chickens are approaching adolescence, and some may lay eggs while still on grower feed.

Note: DO NOT EAT EGGS from a pullet that is still eating starter or grower feed. It contains medication.

Months 4-5 – Adolescent Stage

You can slowly introduce layer pellets once the chicken reaches 14 to 18 weeks (depending on the breed). Commercial layers start eating layer feed at 14 weeks. Standard domestic or heritage breeds can be fed layer feed at 18 weeks.

This feed has all the essential nutrients to help the chickens feather up and get ready to produce eggs. Some feeds also contain medications to help produce the healthiest chickens. Whether you use these medications within your feed is your choice. There is much information to be sourced for further research here. (This link takes you to a site that has no affiliation with this blog)

If you’re using starter or grower feed, it’s probably medicated to support the healthy growth of chicks. Layer feed, however, doesn’t contain any medication since we don’t want eggs with medication. If your hen lays an egg while being fed starter or grower feed, don’t consume that egg. Only feed layer feed from now on. Wait for at least seven days before eating eggs from that chicken to ensure the medicine from the other feed has fully passed through her system.

Months 5-6 – Point of Lay

Sexual Maturity and the Development of Adult Feathers ~ Point of Lay

As the pullet nears maturity and prepares to lay its first eggs, the chicken undergoes many changes. All the feathers are in place, and the protein levels are building to prepare the chicken for producing its first egg. When she gets close to laying, the feathers under her butt (vent) will become very fluffy and soft, indicating egg laying is not far away.

What is actually happening is that the bones around her vent area spread apart. The feathers around the vent become fluffier and softer, but the movement of the bones indicates the chicken is preparing to lay an egg.

Some chicken keepers know to measure this gap with their fingers. One to two fingers wide indicates she is not laying. Two (fat fingers) wide, or more, means she is approaching laying. Of course, again, this depends on the breed and size of the bird.

Month Six – Laying Hen

The Pullet nears maturity, prepares to lay its first egg, and becomes a Laying Hen, or called a Hen. In such an exciting time, the pullet transforms into a fully-fledged laying hen.

Once she goes through the pullet stage, she will mature and be referred to as a Hen, which means she has laid her first eggs. Her nutritional needs are crucial; she needs protein to keep laying eggs. Any disruption to her feeding or routine at this point may mean she will stop laying eggs. Keep her environment conducive to laying eggs if you want a continuous supply of eggs.

She must never miss a meal in this phase of her development, or else she will stop Laying. She must also receive enough daylight to keep consistently producing eggs. It is essential to maintain optimal conditions for the hen.

Note: Different Breeds lay for differing amounts of time and different sized or colored eggs. More on this here: (This link will take you to another site not affiliated with this site).

Timelines – Hatching to Laying Hen

Hatchling Chickens

Timelines vary among chicken breeds. Even though the usual time for chickens to hatch is an average of 21 days, always allow hatchlings to hatch earlier or later by letting the hen manage her clutch.

Laying Hen

Standard-size chickens can hatch as late as 24 to 27 days, depending on the breed you decide to breed.

As with the incubation of chicks, the time it takes for a hen to lay eggs can vary depending on size, type, and breed.

Generally, most chickens begin to lay anywhere from 14 to 24 weeks of age or even longer in some breeds.

Conclusion

Wrapping up our wonderful exploration into the incredible journey from hatching eggs to becoming productive laying hens, it’s clear that chickens have quite the adventure of simply being hens. From the delicate and not-so-simple hatchling stage, where they rely on warmth and care, to the bustling activity of adulthood, chickens exhibit remarkable growth and development.

Throughout this journey, we’ve uncovered the importance of providing a healthy environment, balanced nutrition, and protection from the elements and predators. Whether you’re a seasoned farmer or an enthusiastic backyard chicken fancier, understanding this process can lead to healthier, happier hens and a more rewarding experience overall.

Remember to appreciate the simple joys that chickens bring – from the cheerful clucking in the morning to the satisfying sight of freshly laid eggs. Here’s to the journey of our feathered companions and the joy they bring to farms and households alike.

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