2 broody hens in same coop

[mamahen82]

Hi there - this is my first time hatching. I built a homemade incubator and also have two broody hens whom I've moved to a new coop and as of today they are sitting tight on some "extra" eggs and golfballs. I'm hoping tonight to slip the 'real' eggs that are currently in the incubator under them. I'll be leaving some in the incubator (34 eggs in total - bantam and standard cochins, silkies, and a few mixes).

I have read it is not good to have two broody hens in the same coop, but I don't really have any other options as this is the only place I can keep them separate from the rest of the birds. It is very roomy and has it's own run. They are on separate nests.

I am planning on taking the chicks at day-old stage seeing as these chickens are not very friendly and I really want to handle the chicks alot to ensure a friendly flock going forward.

So my question is if there is a problem with having the broody hens set together in the same coop or if the problem arises mostly with rearing chicks?
thanks in advance,
melissa

 

[Alexis]

I suppose there can always be problems when housing 2 broody hens together. I had two hens that insisted on sharing the same space, and I did separate them, and they each sat on their own eggs... until they decided the other's looked better, and one relocated and sat on the SAME eggs with the other hen. This means you could lose some of the eggs you want hatched if one nest gets abandoned.

But, there can also be benefits. Once they decided to sit on the same nest, I just left them alone. The eggs hatched, and we just had a "My Chicks have 2 Momma's" story that we will tell for ages. It was WAY cute watching the babies listen to one mom, then get "told" something else by the other mom. Back and forth they went. Eventually some went one way, and some went with the other and all was well. In your case, since you're taking them when they hatch, that part won't matter much.
I think that if it were to happen here again, I'd probably not do much differently than before.