7 eggs under 2 broody hens in 1 nest problem...

[wolfinator]

I've got a Cuckoo Marans that went broody about 3 weeks ago and attacked me if I tried to remove the eggs. So I allowed her to keep all the eggs under her. Problem is the nest is in the top tier nest. I've tried several times to move her and the eggs to a brooder cage but she freaks out and almost injured herself and she won't sit on the eggs. Now a week ago a second Cuckoo Marans hen has taken up next to her and is sharing eggs sitting duties with her. Both are extremely protective over the eggs that I have to wear leather gloves to check for additional eggs. Yes, other hens are still laying eggs in there too and I do remove the unmarked ones. The eggs are due to start hatching any day. There's 6 chicken and 1 duck eggs under them. Chicks due to hatch starting tomorrow and last ones by 8/14. Duck due 8/6. My marks disappeared and I wasn't sure which eggs were which so I left all of them and put pen marks on all so now some will be later hatching that others. I would live them to raise the babies but that means moving them and they're not having that happen. My only option is to take the babies as they hatch and put them in the brooder without them but if anyone has any suggestions, I'll give it a try.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The hens will leave the nest generally 2 days after the first egg hatches. The rest will be abandoned in a staggered hatch. You will need to pull chicks as they hatch if you want the hens to continue to set. It's always best to make sure all eggs are set the same day, and to remove extras.

 

[wolfinator]

The hens will leave the nest generally 2 days after the first egg hatches. The rest will be abandoned in a staggered hatch. You will need to pull chicks as they hatch if you want the hens to continue to set. It's always best to make sure all eggs are set the same day, and to remove extras.

That's what I thought about doing. I didn't intend on eggs hatching at all different times, the marks I put on the original few eggs somehow rubbed off, some are dark brown so it's hard to see inside even when using a bright light. I'm checking twice daily since I know a couple of the eggs are due to hatch tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[NorthernMIFlock]

You can wait until one hatches and then move the whole operation to a safer, less busy part of the coop. My buff orp hatched out on 7/14 and would freak out if I tried to check for new eggs. Once one hatched, I just picked up the whole nest with her and baby in it and moved her down to the floor and fashioned a small enclosure around her until she was ready to leave the nest. Good luck with the hatch!

 

[wolfinator]

You can wait until one hatches and then move the whole operation to a safer, less busy part of the coop. My buff orp hatched out on 7/14 and would freak out if I tried to check for new eggs. Once one hatched, I just picked up the whole nest with her and baby in it and moved her down to the floor and fashioned a small enclosure around her until she was ready to leave the nest. Good luck with the hatch!

I think I'm going to have to remove babies as they hatch, both peck the tar of me if they think I'm disturbing them. I wear thick leather gloves when I do have to remove them to check for others eggs. Neither one likes having to be confined. I've tried several times by removing nesting pan and them but same results, they freaked out to point I thought they would get hurt. All my chickens and ducks are completely free range within a large fenced area. I never lock up their coops. I found its easier to take the darker one out first, then the lighter one, quickly check for new eggs as they both pace nearby. The darker one has several times tried attacking me but I scoot her back with my foot. As soon as I step back, both are in there. Yesterday, I actually got to stroke the lighter one behind her comb and she didn't try to peck me. The darker one was facing opposite direction and didn't see me or it would have been on.

 

[Sonya9]

This looks like a difficult situation. Just a thought but you might want to create a couple of separate areas in the hen house so future broodies can be separated and moved early on. If you move them at night after they have sat for a couple of days then hopefully they will accept the new area, and if they don't it is no great loss.

Hen houses are not natural environments and too much can go wrong when they try to incubate eggs in the nest boxes. Eggs in the earliest days of incubation are flexible regarding heat, if the heat is removed the development stalls and then resumes so trying to move the hen/nests is best done the first 2-3 days (when the eggs won't die if the hen stays off the nest for a few hours).

 

[wolfinator]

This looks like a difficult situation. Just a thought but you might want to create a couple of separate areas in the hen house so future broodies can be separated and moved early on. If you move them at night after they have sat for a couple of days then hopefully they will accept the new area, and if they don't it is no great loss.

Hen houses are not natural environments and too much can go wrong when they try to incubate eggs in the nest boxes. Eggs in the earliest days of incubation are flexible regarding heat, if the heat is removed the development stalls and then resumes so trying to move the hen/nests is best done the first 2-3 days (when the eggs won't die if the hen stays off the nest for a few hours).

I do have separate areas, one within the main coop and another in my storage/nursery room but the nursery is set up for my ducklings right now. I've tried several times moving hens and eggs to their own area but the hens freak out to point of risking injury to themselves so I return them back to their chosen box. Oh believe me, I would have liked it if they weren't in the nesting box. I've only had this happen once before and I was able to move her with eggs to nursery room where the hen hatched and raised ducklings. I'm checking throughout the day for any peeping sounds so I can remove them for safety sake.

 

[Sonya9]

I do have separate areas, one within the main coop and another in my storage/nursery room but the nursery is set up for my ducklings right now. I've tried several times moving hens and eggs to their own area but the hens freak out to point of risking injury to themselves so I return them back to their chosen box. Oh believe me, I would have liked it if they weren't in the nesting box. I've only had this happen once before and I was able to move her with eggs to nursery room where the hen hatched and raised ducklings. I'm checking throughout the day for any peeping sounds so I can remove them for safety sake.

Yeah hatching eggs in a hen house is always stressful and full of drama at least here. I typically just buy layer chicks for them to raise and let them sit on dud eggs in the coop.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I do have separate areas, one within the main coop and another in my storage/nursery room but the nursery is set up for my ducklings right now. I've tried several times moving hens and eggs to their own area but the hens freak out to point of risking injury to themselves so I return them back to their chosen box. Oh believe me, I would have liked it if they weren't in the nesting box. I've only had this happen once before and I was able to move her with eggs to nursery room where the hen hatched and raised ducklings. I'm checking throughout the day for any peeping sounds so I can remove them for safety sake.

I don't know what your coop is like other than what you've describe, but when I tried to move a broody to a broody pen, she rejected the nest. After that I cut up a cardboard box and made a "nest box" and put it on the ground in the corner of the coop and rigged up a temp enclosure using chicken wire. I made a box around her basically. That was more to keep other hens out rather than keep her in. She took right to the nest because she was still in her familiar environment. When the babies hatched, after a week I removed her enclosure and let them do as they please.

 

[wolfinator]

I don't know what your coop is like other than what you've describe, but when I tried to move a broody to a broody pen, she rejected the nest. After that I cut up a cardboard box and made a "nest box" and put it on the ground in the corner of the coop and rigged up a temp enclosure using chicken wire. I made a box around her basically. That was more to keep other hens out rather than keep her in. She took right to the nest because she was still in her familiar environment. When the babies hatched, after a week I removed her enclosure and let them do as they please.

Since my nursery has ducklings, I set up a 2x3ft cage in the corner away from nesting boxes and roosting area. Both hens freaked out and actually were hitting themselves into the cage wire. I was concerned for their safety so I put them back and they calmed down immediately. Since there's only 7 eggs, I'll be removing babies as they hatch. With 2 hens in same nest it's too high of a chance of being injured or worse.