A question involving broody hens

[KikiDeAnime]

This is a 'If I end up with 2 or 3 broody hens' thread.
I'm only getting a certain amount in February when they're first available at the feed store and I plan on keeping the broody hens together in the same fenced in yard. We have a 2 yr Bantam cochin/silkie mix hen who goes broody every spring and summer. We also have a 1 yr old Buff Orpington who may or may not go broody in spring but I want to prepare for if she does. Our 1 yr old Olive Egger did go broody during summer and helped our bantam mix raise some chicks together but ended up quitting halfway through.

If I get 6-7 chicks, how should they be split between 2 broody hens?
Will our hens try to steal chicks from each other while living in the same yard? ( I ask because our bantam mix gets very protective of her chicks and will attack me even if all I'm doing is sitting on the ground doing nothing.



Here's a photo from last year of Mouse when she was broody. She'll be 3 years old next year. She's our Bantam cochin/silkie mix who goes broody every spring and summer. Our #1 mother hen.

Here's a recent photo of our Buff Orpington named Sweet Pea. I'm hoping that if she does go broody, she'll be a good mother since she's only 1 yr old.

Thank you in advance

 

[Ridgerunner]

If I get 6-7 chicks, how should they be split between 2 broody hens?

How big is the hen? Are you getting bantam or full-sized-fowl chicks? How cold is your weather when you will be doing this? In colder weather the hen may need to cover her chicks at night until they are a few weeks old. Chicks grow really fast. In summer, I've seen chicks just a few days old sleep next to a hen instead of under her, even with nights getting down into the 70's F. If they get cold they can crowd under her and maybe push another one out. I've had a broody hen take her chicks to the roosts at two weeks of age and they did not sleep under her. In warm weather I've had a couple of hens that weaned their chicks at three weeks, totally leaving them alone to take care of themselves. In warm weather I saw a hen raise 18 chicks. She would have had problems doing that in really cold weather.

To me how many chicks one broody hen should get depends on her size, their size, and the weather.

Will our hens try to steal chicks from each other while living in the same yard?

Maybe, it sometimes happens. Many people have success letting hens raise their chicks in the same area, they leave each other alone. Sometimes two or more hens will work together to hatch and raise chicks. It can work quite well.

Sometimes hens won't share or work together. The hens may fight over the chicks or even hatching eggs, possibly hurting each other or the eggs or chicks. I had two broodies, each with her own nest, fight over a nest of eggs when the chicks in it started to hatch, destroying half the eggs. You may be lucky if you try two broodies together but I'd avoid it if I had the option.

 

[50-45-1]

not sure of the question.
are you asking how many fertile eggs to put under your broodies?
are you planning to purchase day old chicks for your broodies?

each hen should have her own chicks. like stated above, broody hens can fight over chicks inadvertently injuring chicks in the process.
separate them with there own brood until chicks are over a week or so old.
combining the broodies after that will give the chicks a better chance to move out of the way of any disagreements between the moms.
Yes, i know some people have luck with broodies co-brooding and rearing a batch of chicks. i would not however try to guess or assume i have chickens that will do this and put new chicks at risk. proceed on the side of caution.
a broody hen will sometimes be a compleatly different chicken in personality and behavior when she has chicks.
Good Luck!

 

[KikiDeAnime]

I stated in my post that I was getting baby chicks. My parents won't allow me to buy hatching eggs.
The Bantam hen can handle 7 chicks total at a time. She's the only one currently who we've only given chicks to every year aside from the Olive Egger who joined her during this summer in raising 4 chicks together.

As soon as our cockerel starts doing his job like he should have by now, I'll be letting the hens hatch out from our own eggs. But until he toughens up(He's at the bottom of the pecking order) and does his job by mating them, I'll just have to do with buying baby chicks.

 

[bobbi-j]

So, "if" you get two broody hens at the same time in February when you buy your chicks, you want to know how many to give each one of them? That's a lot of perfect timing to hope for! But if it happens that way, buy your 6-7 chicks and give one three and one four.

I'm curious about this statement: "She's the only one currently who we've only given chicks to every day"

What did you do with the chicks at night? Did you take them away and return them in the morning? If so, why?

 

[KikiDeAnime]

I'm curious about this statement: "She's the only one currently who we've only given chicks to every day"

What did you do with the chicks at night? Did you take them away and return them in the morning? If so, why?

I meant every year when she's gone broody. Whenever she's gone broody, she's given chicks to raise and I don't mess with them.

 

[bobbi-j]

I meant every year when she's gone broody. Whenever she's gone broody, she's given chicks to raise and I don't mess with them.

Ah. That makes much more sense!

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Ah. That makes much more sense!

Sorry about that. Typed it on my phone and it keeps auto-correcting year to day.

 

[bobbi-j]

Sorry about that. Typed it on my phone and it keeps auto-correcting year to day.

Oh, autocorrect... It can make for some entertaining yet confusing reading at times!