2 of my 3 girls are broody. Advice needed please

[sonandsal]

Hi all
I havent been on the forum for quite a long time but I do have a question now. Ill just introduce the girls first.
I have 3 girls. All bantams of sorts. Mrs frizzle is a frizzle bantam, she looks like a ball of grey and white fluffy crinkly lace, the oldest girl and the smallest (but lays the biggest eggs of the 3 girls) and is also the boss lady.
Then I have bluey chicken, bluey grey feathers who lays blue eggs she is part Araucana and part bantam and is 2nd in charge and then there is little chicken who is bottom of the pecking order. Little chicken is also the biggest of the 3 girls, the youngest and lays the smallest eggs a bluey brown colour.
Mrs Frizzle became broody a couple of weeks ago so I separated her into a cage with no solid floor or nest to cool her temperature down and it took about a week for the broodiness to finally go. She is now laying again. The suddenly both of the other girls have become broody for the first time and are sitting on anything they can find. I don't have a spare cage now to put them in so I was just going to have to bring them out of the chicken coop frequently and leave them outside in the run. But of course they are smart and lie down in the sand to keep warm. They also make sad noises all day long like I've taken their babies away from them. I imagine this will stress them each day.
My question is this. If I put a couple of fertile eggs under each of them and they both end up with a baby will they be aggressive towards one another if they can see each other and live in the same penned off area. I've probably only got one area that they could use and keep Mrs frizzle in the other area.
Thanks all, I do appreciate your advice on this. I'm off to bed now as I'm in Australia so hopefully there are some hints for me to read tomorrow.
Sonya

 

[Cayuga momma]

@KikisGirls can you move this to the right forum for her?

 

[Cynthia12]

That's a tricky question, because. ..we never know until the babies hatch. Then you see the results of how other birds will react to others babies. Some will not tolerate them. Some may want to steal them! Especially if they have been broody for a while. Some, will even share babies...chicks going from one mom to another for food, or warm. If you think there may be a problem, say you know as a fact that you have a hen that is already being bossy and a bit of a stinker then you may want to separate them...or the mean one. My thoughts.

 

[townchicks]

Personally, I think you need to think through the consequences of raising more chickens. Yes, I know that is what you are trying to do, but here's my point. If you don't have room to break 2 broodies at the same time, where are you going to put the new chicks? Do you have a plan in case one or both of them quit halfway through? Do you want to try to incubate then, or are you willing to toss half developed eggs?. Some can, some can't, no judgement, just some thing to think about ahead of time, IMO. So then, if you want to incubate, you'll have to have one ready and calibrated ahead of time. Are you able to have roos? If not, what is your plan for any that you will hatch? Do you have room for a brooder, in case they don't do a good job raising the chicks? Again, best to have ready, just in case of emergency. Do you have room for a proper separate integration area, in case you do have to raise the chicks in a brooder? (this all goes back to not room to break 2 broodies at the same time, that makes me think room is limited) It may be cheaper, simpler and better for your girls, to just go get another cage. Just saying. If you do decide to go for it, good luck, hopefully it will all go smoothly. I've seen so many posts on here where things have gone wrong, I just think it's good to be prepared.

 

[sonandsal]

thanks for all the info people. Yes I had not thought of any of the negatives apart from are the mothers likely to attack each other. Ill have to get the weiro cage down and put it on the floor and the chickens in it to cool them down. Good job the weiro is sitting on infertile eggs on top of the fridge and doesnt really need her cage at them moment.

 

[aart]

Good job the weiro is sitting on infertile eggs on top of the fridge and doesnt really need her cage at them moment.

Say What?!!

 

[sonandsal]

Yes I know its a crazy house.
We found the weiro as a finger tamed youngster and have had her about 4 years. She loves her large open cage in the living room and has the run of the house. When she gets broody though she wants to nest somewhere else so the latest favourite place is a shoe box with some tissues in it on top of the fridge in the kitchen. For some reason she loves that spot. Even without the nesting box she likes to get up there now and again and chew on a few cookbooks. The only good thing about her sitting on eggs for about 2 weeks or so is she is lovely and quiet. She comes out a couple of times a day does a massive poop and eats plenty then goes back to the nest. She is usually quite a demanding bird and will sit on our shoulder in the house often during the day. When we leave the room she screeches for us. We love her to bits though.

 

[townchicks]

Say What?!!

LOL, that was my reaction too, I had to go look them up. Slang for cockatiel.