3 broodies in the same coop?

[Highlander]

I had 3 hens go broody yesterday. I have a spare coop that I was planning on moving them into today. I was thinking I would need to make 3 separate areas inside the coop for them, is this correct? Does anyone have any pics of their broody suites? Also, as they will all be hatching at the same time, how long do I need to keep them separate from each other so they don't harm each other's chicks?

Will there be a time when all 3 mothers and their chicks can be in the coop together without being separated? And lastly, when can they be introduced into into the main flock (70 hens, 1 roo). Thank you!

 

[kycowgirlchick]

I had 2 hens in the same nest, which they actually took over from another. And even at times had 3 on the same nest. The hen who started it, started a nest on the floor of the coop. The babies just all stayed together and they sort of shared them.

 

[stuckinthecity]

I dont see anything wrong with setting the 3 hens in the same coop in one big nest. Just make sure its on the same day that you put the fertilized eggs under each of them, and then they hatch at the same time, what could be better then having a mean mommy hen to protect the biddies? 3 mean hens!

anyway, yeah just make 3 little areas in the coop your putting them in if you dont like my idea

LOL
and as for introducing them to the flock, thats a VERY large flock so you would want to wait untill they can take care of themselves. mama hen cant protect them from that many birds I dont think...I could be wrong.

as for how I kept my broody hen, I wish I could show you a video, I had her in an old beagle cage while she was setting, then moved her to a pet taxi for 4 days then moved them into the chicken house.

 

[DTchickens]

I've seen two hens care for chicks.. But the problem is "What difference will three make? could it heat the eggs up and "Cook " them?" I don't know if it would or not truthfully. But it's what i'd worry about..

As for them hatching the chicks out i wouldn't let it happen because- some hens are very protective of their chicks. And with that you have to think "Will she fight the other hen for being that close?" i've seen it happen before and honestly it killed the chicks because they were running around their mothers scared and just got in the way im guessing. So basically i guess if the hens are calm mothers it would be alright. But i'd only let them have one "just in case".

As for adding them to the other flock i'd wait until they are at least a couple months old.. Maybe 3-4 months earliest but that's just personal opinion.

 

[Highlander]

Thanks for the replies for far.

When I asked if I should make separate areas, I was always planning on putting the hens on 3 separate nests, but I wanted to know if I should block each nest off so the hens couldn't see or get to each other and they all had their own separate private space in the coop. I didn't really want the three sitting on the same nest. 3 separate nests means more eggs, right?

 

[fowltemptress]

Even if you made three separate areas there's no guarantee they'd feel compelled to use them. Broody chickens seem to like to clump together, and I've even had chickens move their eggs from one nest over to another that was already in use so they could sit together . . . and once a chicken just flat out abandoned her nest in the middle of incubating to sit with another chicken on her nest. When they brood together they think of all the chicks as their own and share them, so there'd be no reason to keep them separated like you mentioned.

What would happen is this:

These two sat together on the same nest and raised their chicks together fine. I wish I had a picture of my latest mass broodiness . . . I had five hens mashed together on one nest, and the resulting chicks just darted from mom to mom without a care in the world, and the mothers were perfectly content.

 

[fowltemptress]

Quote:
Well, what you do is you gather the eggs until you have as many as you'd like to try hatching, and then you put the eggs under the hens all at once.

 

[Highlander]

Quote:
Wow, I didn't realise they would do that. All I've heard are stories of hens killing other hens chicks. It would be good if they all played nicely.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[ranchhand]

You could always set them up on 3 nests and see how it goes. If a hen starts behaving badly, take her out and break her broodiness.

Mark her with a legband, so you know who the bad momma is in the future. The others will probably accept her eggs and brood them, too.

Good luck!

 

[Diva]

I have a RR hen that appears to be broody on a yellow golf ball that I left in one of the nests that nobody was using. I keep putting her out in the yard with the rest. However, for the last 3 days when I get home from work she is back in that nest keeping the golf ball warm. I miss her egg laying. L.