Adding chicks under Broody hens

[kuchchicks]

Well I think broodiness must be contagious!!! LOL! I have one broody hen that has been that way for about a month. About 2 1/2 weeks ago I allowed her to keep a clutch to try to hatch out. I candled them the other day and only one egg developed...BUT that chick is very active in the shell! Unfortunately my dominant hen went broody this past week and ran the original hen off of her nest and took it over as her own. The submissive hen has started a new clutch but none of those are fertile/developing. I have eggs due to hatch in my bator on Tuesday. The only egg that is under my dominant hen is not due to hatch until the following week. So my question is this... Should I take one or a few of the chicks that hatch on Tuesday and put them under my submissive hen right after they hatch so she has babies? Is there going to be a problem with the other hen? I do have a smaller coop that I could move someone into but I call it the "Coop of Death" because every time I have chickens in there they get killed by something. Also if there is only one egg that hatches under the dominant hen is there going to be an issue because there is only 1 baby? I have never had any of my hens hatch out eggs before so I really feel out of my realm. PLEASE HELP!!! I really want them to have their babies so I can be done with this broodiness.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi,

Personally, i only let my dominant hen hatch eggs - that way they get max protection and preferential access to food etc. Im not sure how dominant your to top hen is - some are great with chicks that aren't their own, others not so nice. What about putting the day old chicks under the dominant hen and seeing if she is happy to adopt them?

Other more experienced members may have different views, but i would break the broodiness of the submissive hen (type "breaking broodiness" in the search bar) and put the day olds under the dominant hen (and forget about the single egg that is under her at the moment).


All the best whatever you decide

CT