Broody hen suddenly sharing

[mhegge]

My girls are finally going broody and apparently its contagious! Started with one, and she would let the other girls kick her off to lay so her eggs are behind as she kicked some out. The next girl started about 5 days later and wouldn't move a muscle for about 8 days, then yesterday I saw her off the nest! I assumed getting food and water so I quick counted and candles, she has 15 going! While this happened another girl was in the covered nest, I thought laying, but I moved her to gather the eggs. She was mad and when I cam back she was sitting on the 15! The hen there was laying in the other nest so I switched them as the roo who likes to sit with the hen on 15 was mad at the other. Went back out at night, the new one was on them again and the original on the side with the roo watching over. This morning, the original is out and the new on the 15. What gives? Will they raise them together? Will this be an issue?

 

[aart]

Hard to say how this might work out.
If you didn't mark the eggs when the hen started setting and daily removed any other eggs laid in nest....you'll may end up with a staggered hatch.
Whether the 2 broodies will continue to harmoniously co-brood until, and after, hatch day remains to be seen.

 

[mhegge]

I did mark them in the beginning, but that hen/nest kept kicking those ones out and wanting to keep the others. She my only bantam and I don't know if that's why she let other hens come into her nest. I'm going to try to build a brooder to keep them separate from the others. This is my first time with broody hens so it's all new to me. Any other general advice?

Hard to say how this might work out.
If you didn't mark the eggs when the hen started setting and daily removed any other eggs laid in nest....you'll may end up with a staggered hatch.
Whether the 2 broodies will continue to harmoniously co-brood until, and after, hatch day remains to be seen.

 

[aart]

I'd separate both broodies in 2 separate enclosures...but that might be risky at this point.
I usually separate after I'm sure they're broody and before giving fresh fertile eggs to hatch.