How Many Chicks Can A Hen Have? (Detailed Answer)

We keep chickens in our backyard, and when people find out I do, they always ask me a million questions. 

One of the ones I get a lot is on how many chicks a hen can have. 

It’s not a clear answer to most people, and it wasn’t to me at first, either. 

I researched, pulled on my experience, and asked around, and here’s what I found. 

Hens can have up to 12 chicks at a time and usually only once per year. In some cases, they’ll have 2 broods and so have 24 chicks in one year. With 3 years of productive egg-laying, expect to breed between 36 and 72 chicks from one hen if that’s your goal. 

Let’s dig into the details and some commonly asked questions around chickens and chicks. 

Chicken Productivity By Species Chart

Not every chicken species lays eggs and has chicks at the same rate. 

In the rest of the article, we’ll be dealing with averages, but if you want to get hens based on their laying rates, check out this chart of the best egg-laying chickens to help you decide which ones to get. 

Chicken Breed	Average Per Year*	Average Per Week
Ameraucana	150-200	3-4
Orpington	150-200	3-4
New Hampshire	200-240	4-5
Leghorn	200-250	4-5
Rhode Island Red	200-250	4-5
Sussex	200-250	4-5
Wyandotte	200-250	4-5
Delaware	200-280	4-6
Plymouth Rock	200-280	4-6
Dominique	230-270	4-6
Australorp	250-300	5-6
Golden Comet	250-300	5-6

*The average per year smooths over the times when chickens lay fewer eggs. 

During the molting in the fall and early winter, they lay little to no eggs as the protein is used for making feathers instead of eggs. 

Winter is also a decreased egg-laying time, as they conserve energy. 

Expect the summer to be higher and the winter to be lower. 

Do Hens Need Roosters To Have Chicks?

Hens need a rooster to fertilize their eggs to have chicks. Chickens will lay eggs all year long, with or without roosters. Without rooster sperm, the eggs won’t grow babies and hatch. These eggs are only good for eating. 

Many people believe the myth of how having a rooster around will make hens increase their egg production. 

Despite the logic in this thought process, there’s no evidence to back this up. 

Some experts think if there is an increase, it comes with a heightened feeling of safety. 

Roosters help protect their flocks by keeping them together and crowing when danger is nearby. 

Some think hens feel instinctively safer when roosters are near, and we know comfortable and safe hens lay eggs more often. 

How Many Chicks Can A Chicken Have In A Year?

Chickens can have up to 2 broods on average in a year, with most having 1 brood and very few having 3 broods. While the amount of chicks per brood varies based on species, most will be up to 12 chicks. This gives an expected 12-24 chickens in a single year. 

Remember: Having chicks and laying eggs are two different processes, though they start the same way. 

Hens will keep a steady egg-laying all year long and be close to the chart we shared above. 

Once those eggs start getting fertilized, they’ll notice and slow down. 

A mother hen’s instincts kick in when they have a full brood of fertilized eggs to sit on and keep warm. 

They’ll also hold off on laying more eggs after the chicks are born until they have been alive long enough to take care of themselves more. 

How Many Chicks Can A Chicken Have In A Lifetime?

A chicken can have as many as 100 chicks in a lifetime. This exact number depends on how many broods they have per year and how many chicks are in a brood. Most chickens have a good 3 years of egg-laying and chick-raising in them before they start to taper off. 

Chickens live between 5 and 10 years, though most end up toward the 5-year end of a lifespan. 

A chicken can lay up until death, but after 3 years, it’ll slow down a lot. 

How Many Chicks Can A Hen Take Care Of At One Time?

A hen will care for around 12 chicks at the most. A brood consists of between 10-15 fertilized eggs, but not all of these eggs will hatch, and some of the chicks may die at a young age. If you have more chicks than this, make sure you have a matching number of hens or keep them in a special coop.

Chickens are flock animals and work together to care for chicks, but most people with backyard chickens will keep chicks in their own coop. 

In smaller amounts, chicken owners tend to care for the individual chicks more. 

Commercial farmers or chicken owners with a large flock tend to keep the chicks with the hens. 

Be careful when the flock gets too big, though. 

Chickens will start to attack each other to keep the population low if there are too many chickens. 

How Many Chicks Can A Hen Keep Warm?

A standard-sized hen can keep 12 chicks warm at night, though it’s safer to stick with 10 or under. The biggest danger to chicks is a low temperature, and while hens are warm, there’s only so much they can do. Many owners keep chicks in a special coop with extra heat. 

Most grown hens will survive temperatures around freezing 32° degrees Fahrenheit (0° C), and some will be just fine below this. 

Chicks are a lot more sensitive. Start the first week at 95° degrees Fahrenheit (35° C) and then reduce the temp by 5° degrees Fahrenheit until you reach room temperature or the natural air temperature. 

Don’t leave them at any temperature less than 55° degrees Fahrenheit (13° C).

How Long Does A Hen Need To Stay With Her Chicks?

Hens sit on their eggs for the 21 days it takes to hatch and then care for them 8 weeks after birth. At this point, she pays less attention to her babies as they’re more likely to survive. By 16 weeks, the chicks will be treated as normal members of the flock. 

Chicks are considered fully grown at 16 weeks, and reaching this age is a good indicator they’ll survive to have a long life. 

At 18 weeks, female chicks (now hens) will start producing some eggs. 

How Does A Hen Feed Her Chicks?

Hens feed their chicks by modeling how to use pecking and scratching behavior in the dirt to find food. At most, they’ll lift food and put it in their chicks’ mouths. Unlike some birds, chickens will not digest and regurgitate their food for their young. 

Even though chickens have breast muscles and meat, they don’t nurse their young. 

Chickens lack mammary glands to produce milk. 

Learn more in our dedicated article on chickens and breastfeeding. 

Chicks have strong foraging instincts and don’t usually need eating help.

Sadly though, some chickens are born with or develop issues with their beaks. 

When the beak is crossed, it causes a problem called a scissor beak. 

Even with scissor beaks, chickens won’t feed their young much. It’s not part of their instincts. 

We can help by feeding chicks or trimming their beaks back. 

Believe it or not, chicken beaks do grow back if not trimmed too far up.

If you want to learn more, click the article for our complete guide on the topic.