2 moms?

[smithnan]

Pink hatched 2 little chicks about 3 weeks ago. Our unnamed black astrolorp (ba?) Started sitting on some eggs on the floor of the coop 2 weeks ago.

I went to check on them one night and pink and her two little babies were sitting on the eggs while BA was sitting nearby, just watching! And so it's been every day since then. Pink takes the night shift, then goes out with her babies during the day and BA takes the day shift. Someone is always sitting on the eggs.

It is cute, but now we are a week away from hatch and I wonder what is going to happen? Will they fight over the eggs as they hatch and kill Them all? I could move BA and her eggs to our separate "nursery" coop and keep pink out of there, but the last time I tried to move eggs like that, the hen lost interest completely and never returned to sit.

I would just leave it as is, other than the fear that they will fight over eggs and hurt them. Has anyone else had this happen? What did you do, and how did it turn out?

 

[smithnan]

In case someone checks some day, here is what happened. I "chickened out" in our game of "Chicken" and moved Pink and her 2 babies to another coop before the babies hatched so there would be no disputes. They are hatching today, i think- one was dead on the floor, not sure what happened, it was compltely formed, but dead One is running around behind mom and looks fine. The other 2 i hope will hatch. 2 other eggs seem to have disappeared somewhere along the line, but i think i've seen that happened before when under a broodie. This broody is a first time mom, so who knows what to expect.