How old?

How old do kittens need to be before they can be given away? I have a litter of 5 babies that are about 6 weeks old and my mom wants to take one of them home in about another week or so, is this too early for the babies to leave their mother??

Well, from my understanding they really shouldn't leave their mom until 8 weeks. Most people advocate 10-12, and some even higher than that. I believe 6-8 weeks is when they learn their socialization skills, probably among other things.

please if you can try to wait untill the kittens are 10-12 weeks of age, even if they do seem ready they learn a lot from there mum and litter mates at this young age still

Heather is right. 10-12 weeks is best, as by then, mumcat has taught the kittens all they need to know about how to eat, use the litter tray and socialisation.

agreed with 10-12 weeks, they should even still be allowed to nurse if they like to until that time, even though tthey are weaned and eating solids. Mom teaches them all sorts of cat things, if taken too early, they can have behavioral problems later on in life. The mother can however be spayed while the kittens are still with her at about 6-8 weeks or so. You can even have the kittens altered too before going to new homes so then you will be sure they won't be allowed to reproduce.

Also I would NEVER give the cats away for free unless you know the person well. They can be collected to be sold to labs or as bait in dog fighting, or even just to irresponaible people.

Its much better to keep the kittens for a minimum of 10 weeks - 12 would be better. During the time up to 10-12 weeks the kittens need social time with mom/siblings to learn important behaviors. Also you can socialize them with other animals, some people (limited) and teach them about scratching posts, house manners, etc.

They will be totally trained for litter pan and eating solid foods well. Many kittens are still nursing from mom at 10 weeks old (if she lets them).

I do hope that the kittens will be neutered spayed by 3 months old. And given at least the first set of shots. Do not just "give them away" for free. Charge some money to cover some vet expenses and also get mom spayed before the kittens leave.