Broody Hen Thread!

[SharW75]

This is my daughter's pet bantam cochin, Jet, and her two kids, Pip and Puff. She's a fantastic mother! This picture was taken about a month ago, so the kids have grown quite a bit.

 

[shadypineschooks]

I had two hens go broody at the same time right next to each other at the end of our community nesting box. No rooster so I placed twelve fertile eggs under them 11 days ago. They've been sitting side by side, sharing the eggs the whole time. We separated the coop with hardware mesh and blocked the other hens from the community box, creating a "maternity" suite. Candled last night and pulled three. Nine left, due Tuesday-ish. SO excited!

Thank you to everybody on this thread, I have learned a lot, this is my first time hatching with broodies.

Curious what experiences anyone has had with two hens sharing a clutch?

 

[aart]

Curious what experiences anyone has had with two hens sharing a clutch?

Never done it myself..... but have read it go great, and disastrously.
Only time will tell always have a Plan B.

 

[shadypineschooks]

always have a Plan B.

I'm a little worried if they will co-parent as sweetly as they have shard this clutch. Is that the plan B you are talking about?

 

[Perris]

Plan b would be to separate them when the chicks hatch, if co-pparenting doesn't work.

 

[aart]

I'm a little worried if they will co-parent as sweetly as they have shard this clutch. Is that the plan B you are talking about?

Yes, hopefully they all stay sweet once the chicks start popping out.
Best to have another enclosure ready if they start fighting over the chicks.

 

[shadypineschooks]

Some quick pics of the girls

 

[aart]

Some quick pics of the girls
View attachment 1909393 View attachment 1909394

Do they both stay on eggs all night....both making that broody cluck sound?

 

[shadypineschooks]

Do they both stay on eggs all night....both making that broody cluck sound?

Yes, they purr/cluck softly and puff up when I lift the top of the nesting box. They have been sitting dedicated for about three weeks. If one goes off to eat/bathe/poop, or if we lift one off their nest to check the eggs, the other hurries up and starts scooping up the eggs. (This made candling in the dark an interesting event ) They rarely leave the nest, though, from what I have seen and the lack of poop and scant food being eaten. Thankfully they aren't pooping in the nests. I have started leaving scrambled eggs and veg for them and that has them leaving maybe once a day I would say. Yesterday the silver one (Lorraine) ventured out into the yard briefly. But that was her first trip to the run since settling in. They stick to the coop where I have a dirt bath, food, and water for them.

Here they are this evening. You can see them spread really flat covering their eggs.

 

[aart]

This made candling in the dark an interesting event

I'll bet!! How do the eggs look?