5 broody hens on a mess of eggs

[QChickieMama]

I've let a hen sit on some fertile eggs in a pen with 1 rooster and 10 layers. I've been hands-off because I've been remodeling my house, so today when I checked on them (day #21), there are 5 broody hens sitting on I-don't-know-how-many eggs.

I've checked on them 5 times today, listening for any peeping. I'm assuming some will hatch soon. What should my plan be at that point? Are the other hens just "helping" the original broody, or will they all want to be mama to a set of chicks?

I was going to move the main broody with however many hatch within 2 days into a dog crate inside the main pen. Should I just leave the others to do their thing?

If this situation were in the wild, what would naturally happen?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That sounds like a mess to me. What often happens when multiple broodies sit together is no one claims the chicks and they get attacked as they come out from under the hens.

You will have to see how it goes. I personally would pull all chicks as they hatch and brood them myself unless you see one of the hens being a good mom. Not every broody actually wants chicks or knows what to do with them, so keep an eye on the situation.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

With multiple setting hens jealousy often rears her ugly head and the chicks fall prey to "friendly" fire as the mother hens duke-it-out for the right of being a mother.

 

[Shaw Stine]

I'm in the same boat, one broody hen turned to three part way through, I have been on baby watch for three days. I have had to rescue three babies because when one of the hens jump out to eat, stretch and do there business they are going back up into the box and not making a nest lower to protect the babies. Yesterday one was out running around in the run and Terrible Tina that's what we call her because she rules the roost, just left him so then the roosters started stomping him . I'm not sure what to expect either because this is the first time we've allowed them to hatch there own eggs, but from what I've seen not a good way to hatch babies. Hopefully with the majority of eggs when they hatch they will be better