Broody Hens - First it was Lady Bird, now Ginger!?

[Spaeth-chicks]

Hello! It's been 13 days since Lady Bird decided to commit to sitting on eggs. She's sitting on 7 eggs, she's been doing a wonderful job. She sits on them 24/7 only taking one break a day to eat, drink, dust bathe and get some cuddles from me if I'm in the yard while she's taking her break, then back to sitting on the eggs. The last few days Ginger one of my other girls has been showing some of the same signs as Lady Bird. She's been clucking to herself while walking around the yard, puffing up and screaming when we approach her. Today she decided to take root in the nesting box next to Lady Bird. She started about noon and hasn't gotten up since. I think she's decided she wants to stick this out. It's dusk now and she's still there, not getting up for evening treats or anything. She's one of our chickens that has a bad case of FOMO and usually has to be front and center for treats....not tonight. Sooooo...now I'm facing a dilemma. I'm going to set up a coop and run for Lady Bird and her babies. Her eggs are due to hatch at the end of the month, and I want to set her up with a separate area. I don't want to let Ginger sit on these eggs that were hatched today. The timing will be wrong with the eggs that LB has been on, and I'm wondering...Could I set up both LB and Ginger in the separate coop / run space together? Could I give Ginger some of LB's eggs so that they both hatch at the same time, and would it work for them to hatch and raise the chicks together? Or, am I asking for trouble? I'm new at this and wondering if anyone has done this before with two broody mommies at the same time. See attached pics of my girls.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Dual broodies often do end up being dueling broodies, however, it depends on the temperament of the hens.

I have had GREAT main coop, multiple broody hatchings, with moms literally sharing the work load, and I have had disastrous with the hens vying for nests, chicks, and generally causing havoc with chick loss.

Being a first timer, I would not try to put them in the same coop UNLESS there is enough time staggered between them such that the first hen hatches and is up with her chicks several weeks before the second (which can interfere with the second later hen if things go wrong).

I definitely would not give the second hen eggs from the first as you are 13 days into this. You only have a week left before hatch. That is not enough time for the second hen to get into a deep enough brood for hatch transition.

I'd put the first hen and chicks in the separate coop. I find 2 weeks an ideal time to integrate the chicks into the main coop (mine anyway due to ramp size, foot traffic).

Can you let the second hen set in the main coop setting while the first hen broods the chicks to 2 weeks? Then switch first mother and 2 week old chicks to main coop and second mother and chicks to the grow out pen?

As long as momma is not disturbed in her main coop nest, you can move the mother and chicks after chicks are fluffed and dried.

Otherwise you can try staggering in the separate coop with one momma up while the other sets.

I'd wait 1 week before setting the second hen. That would give you that 2 week grow out time before the next mommy with babes who needs privacy.

Sometimes it works beautifully all together...other times total disaster...I've learned if I'm serious to error to safety and stagger my hatch times giving momma and babes 2 weeks before integration.

LofMc

 

[Spaeth-chicks]

Dual broodies often do end up being dueling broodies, however, it depends on the temperament of the hens.

I have had GREAT main coop, multiple broody hatchings, with moms literally sharing the work load, and I have had disastrous with the hens vying for nests, chicks, and generally causing havoc with chick loss.

Being a first timer, I would not try to put them in the same coop UNLESS there is enough time staggered between them such that the first hen hatches and is up with her chicks several weeks before the second (which can interfere with the second later hen if things go wrong).

I definitely would not give the second hen eggs from the first as you are 13 days into this. You only have a week left before hatch. That is not enough time for the second hen to get into a deep enough brood for hatch transition.

I'd put the first hen and chicks in the separate coop. I find 2 weeks an ideal time to integrate the chicks into the main coop (mine anyway due to ramp size, foot traffic).

Can you let the second hen set in the main coop setting while the first hen broods the chicks to 2 weeks? Then switch first mother and 2 week old chicks to main coop and second mother and chicks to the grow out pen?

As long as momma is not disturbed in her main coop nest, you can move the mother and chicks after chicks are fluffed and dried.

Otherwise you can try staggering in the separate coop with one momma up while the other sets.

I'd wait 1 week before setting the second hen. That would give you that 2 week grow out time before the next mommy with babes who needs privacy.

Sometimes it works beautifully all together...other times total disaster...I've learned if I'm serious to error to safety and stagger my hatch times giving momma and babes 2 weeks before integration.

LofMc

Thank you for your advice. I have a couple more questions then...so at two weeks it's safe to move Lady Bird and her babies with the rest of the flock? We also have a rooster, is that ok to do when they're that young? I was thinking I would have to keep her separated for at least 6-8 weeks? Like I said, I'm new to this. We've hatched our original chickens in an incubator, and then the next year we hatched in an incubator again, so integrating them was a whole big thing...I'm hoping Lady Bird will make that process easier. This is a first for us to have a broody, and now two!

So for Ginger (now broody), You're saying I could hold off on her sitting on eggs...and would I do this by just taking the eggs she's sitting on each day until a week (or maybe two?) pass, then let her sit so their hatch time is more spaced out? Taking her eggs each day, and just prolonging her broodiness, is this going to be hard on her?

I was fine with one broody hen, and now having two, is adding a bit of stress that I wasn't prepared for. Right now they're both fine, there doesn't seem to be any drama... I was hoping they could just co parent together, but if it's too late to give her some of Lady Bird's eggs, I don't want to mess everything up.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Lady Bird *should* be safe to go at 2 week old chicks to go back to the flock. The point of that integration age is the chicks are old enough to stay out of hen altercations and stupid strandings but yet the broody momma is still mothering them. If you wait until 6 to 8 weeks, chances are the hen herself is pushing the chicks away and won't offer protection. I've integrated at day 1 with great success, but then the next batch has losses (usually chicks getting stranded from momma and chilling within the first week). To wait until 2 weeks keeps the chicks in a safe contained area with momma until they are fleet of foot, and a bit smarter, so they can follow her anywhere up ramps or in and out of gates.

Ginger should set for about 1 week. You want to be sure she is steady (that takes a couple of days), then you will extend her so that her chicks will hatch about 2 weeks after Lady Bird using this staggering method. (Again, I've had co-broods with GREAT success, and then complete disaster...I'm trying to give you the absolute safest pathway to ensure chick and mother success.)

Ginger would normally brood up to 4 to 5 weeks, so extending her 1 week won't make a difference. She should be finishing up by her week 4.

To help with keeping energy to brooding moms, I recommend putting in chick saver vitamins and electrolytes in the water and putting them on the chick start.

LofMc