2 broody serama sisters sitting on eggs.

[kss1113]

I have these 2 little adorable Serama sisters. Snow White started setting on eggs about a week ago... Her sister, Ginger, joined her after about 3 days. No bickering or fighting so far that I've seen. Will they continue to set together and raise the chicks? Has anyone else had this experience and how did it go?

 

[sourland]

It all depends on the temperament of the birds involved. Sometimes it works out fine, and sometimes it can be a disaster. If they are getting along fine hopefully all will go well. Good luck.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Will they continue to set together and raise the chicks? Has anyone else had this experience and how did it go?

As Sourland said, it depends. Sometimes they work well together in incubating, hatching, and raising the chicks. There are plenty of threads with photos on this forum where that happens. I remember one thread where one hen took the first chicks off of the nest while the other stayed behind to hatch the later chicks. Great cooperation.

Sometimes (not often but it has happened) one hen kills the chicks that hatch under the other hen. Some hens kill chicks that hatch under herself with no other broody involved, you can never tell what will happen. I had a hen by herself kill two chicks that hatched under her but raised the other six chicks fine. I have no idea why.

These two hens were not sharing a nest but I had one broody abandon her nest and attack another to take her nest away when the eggs started to pip. She wanted to hatch and raise them herself and the other hen was not going to allow that. They destroyed half of the eggs, all with living chicks in them.

I'll repeat. Sometimes it works out great and they work well together taking care of the chicks. Sometimes they don't. You can never tell for sure what will happen with living animals.