Chickadees will renest if a first attempt fails. Only one brood is raised per year. The five to nine eggs are white with reddish brown dots. The female incubates them, and the male brings her food. The eggs hatch after 12 days.
Juveniles beg loudly and are fed by both parents.
Young fledge about 16 days after hatching. Some three to four weeks after fledging, the young suddenly disperse, moving off in random directions. As winter approaches, they join feeding flocks. Chickadees are taken by many predators including sharp-shinned hawks, American kestrels, Eastern screech owls, saw whet owls, and domestic and feral cats. The average life span for a chickadee is two and a half years, and the current longevity record is 12 years, nine months.