Two Broody Hens Together

[kimthom66]

 

[kimthom66]

Well my situation is I had one broody hatch out eggs that I had separated in her own coop, she has two chicks.



Then I had one hen go broody and start setting on 7 eggs, but before too long I had yet another broody and the two started sharing a nesting box. I added another nesting box and it took separating with chicken wire to get the one hen to stay there on eggs. I have since removed the wire as it made the two spaces much too small, it is a small Bantam coop.

This weekend they started hatching, on Saturday I had two chicks under the Calico hen, and a chirping pipped egg under the Blue Bantam Cochin. Sunday morning I checked and the one had hatched under my Blue, but on Sunday afternoon I checked on them to discover that the two hatched Saturday were now under the blue and the calico had nothing (but eggs) they had moved? Or did the blue take them over? And so far they seem to be staying with the blue? Is this common? I now felt bad for the Calico as she had put in all this work (she has actually been broody longer than the blue? I did have another chirping egg so I placed that under her and this morning she now has her own chick...trouble is will it still be under her when I get home from work today? Or will it be under the blue one? How much should I intervene? I mean after all the eggs are done hatching perhaps they will just share? They do not appear to be fighting at all.

 

[PIckettfarm]

Kimthom66- can you update? I have two broody hens that I gave 4 fertilized eggs just to break them from being broody for so long- but I of course don't want them to kill the chicks! I just noticed that one has hatched (maybe more?) and so far so good- but not sure how long it would take if they were going to brawl.

 

[kimthom66]

My two mommas are doing great and they even have a grandma, I had an older Silkie that has taken to these chicks like they're are her own! She didn't take them from the mommas but watches out for them for sure! I highly recommend leaving them be and letting them sort it out, I had one hen that went broody at first and I separated her and now I am having a tough time getting her back into the flock! Right now I am trying to get everyone back into one coop the rooster seems to be fine with the chicks but a few other hens pick on them a bit I will say one of the broody hens is a better mother than the other but all is well. except for the fact that I have 6 chicks and I think 4 of them are roosters!

 

[Huggerlady]

Very cute story, those four will be so spoiled! Hatching should start soon for us.

 

[kimthom66]

Kimthom66- can you update? I have two broody hens that I gave 4 fertilized eggs just to break them from being broody for so long- but I of course don't want them to kill the chicks! I just noticed that one has hatched (maybe more?) and so far so good- but not sure how long it would take if they were going to brawl.

 

[hulson]

I have two Silkie hens that were best buddies from birth. The black Silkie eggs hatched two weeks ago. Yesterday, the partridge Silkie hatched two. The black Silkie is pecking on the two new babies and partridge Silkie does nothing to protect them. One was laying in a corner of the coop cold and dying. I took that one and the other away from partridge momna and put them in a brooder. The babies are doing well. I just thought mama partridge Silkie would protect her babies like the black Silkie does. I guess in my case, I need two separate coops.

 

[PIckettfarm]

So cute! Mine are doing fine as well! 4 baby chicks, 2 "moms" and. 3rd hen that gets along fine with the babies as well!

[/IMG]

 

[PIckettfarm]

 

[kimthom66]

Just to update further the chicks are about 5 weeks old now and one of the momma's has decided to start pecking at the chicks and separating herself while free ranging while the other momma and the grandma Silkie are still mothering them quite nicely! Both have started laying again though. One just seems to love being a momma hen!