Broody chicken sitting on another broody chicken??!!

[beethechicken]

Hi! One of my pekin bantams is broody and another of my girls (a black rock hybrid) started as well. However, the black rock doesn't tend to sit on eggs - rather the little broody pekin bantam!! I'm wondering if this is normal behaviour? And what should I do about it? I'd like to hatch some eggs under the big black rock but I'm not sure if she'll take eggs!

 

[Pork Pie]

You could try moving her to a crate with some eggs and seeing if she'll take them

 

[sumi]

Silly bird! That pic made me laugh now. I see your hens are sitting outdoors somewhere? If feasible, can you move them both indoors into the coop, or somewhere secure and out of the weather and offer them some eggs, just 2-3 each, and see how they take it? And keep them separate of course.

 

[andreanar]

Hi! One of my pekin bantams is broody and another of my girls (a black rock hybrid) started as well. However, the black rock doesn't tend to sit on eggs - rather the little broody pekin bantam!! I'm wondering if this is normal behaviour? And what should I do about it? I'd like to hatch some eggs under the big black rock but I'm not sure if she'll take eggs!

Since she obviously likes sitting on birds LOL. Maybe some day old chicks would be better for her?

 

[beethechicken]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!!

Yeah they definitely are a funny couple haha. Well, I've had a go at a couple of the suggestions and what happens is that if I give them some eggs the little pekin steals every eggs she can see and sits on all of them (I've found her with 10 once!) and then the black rock sits on the pekin!
I think I'll try giving them some fertile eggs and see what happens... I suppose the eggs won't go cold with that many chickens on them! How many could the pekin potentially sit on ? They'd be quite large eggs.
Thanks again for all the ideas!!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hi! One of my pekin bantams is broody and another of my girls (a black rock hybrid) started as well. However, the black rock doesn't tend to sit on eggs - rather the little broody pekin bantam!! I'm wondering if this is normal behaviour? And what should I do about it? I'd like to hatch some eggs under the big black rock but I'm not sure if she'll take eggs!

Your'll be much further ahead in the hatching game if you can prevent them sitting or laying in each others' nest. I see a lot of questions on this forum asking about the proper hen density usually expressed in square feet, but hens sharing nests or incubation duties is a sure symptom of overcrowding. If you are contemplating letting your black rock hatch off then the instant the Peking went into setting mode you should have broken her up.

That would have provided you with a more intimate nest location for the black rock that she and only she would have imprinted on.

The same kind of ball up is in-play when a brood hen leaves her nest for food and drink but returns to the wrong nest. Your fowl are not Rhodes Scholars people. They operate 99% of the time on pure luck and blind instinct. You confront them with multiple choices they will chose the wrong option.

 

[tigger19687]

My Silkie did that years ago. She made her own laying box in the space between the wall and plywood (about 8 inches wide by 1 foot long).

One day there were 2 in that spot, one on the other... so I thought. SO I just reached in to get the eggs. Low and behold there was a very young OPPOSSUM under her. Not eating eggs mind you, it was Winter and I think he was just lost. I left him (didn't eat any eggs that week). He left on his own the next day or 2.
Man was that funny. I should have given her chicks to raise but I didn't know better back then

 

[centrarchid]

Pull one and confine her in another location. I did the same yesterday evening to increase odds I get a good hatch. Clutch remaining in that situation is derived from two hens.