Broody hens on 2nd clutch...will the be okay?

Lach Cnoc Farm

Songster
10 Years
Apr 16, 2009
428
0
129
Western Washington
So after my cochin hen went broody, my other cochin hen and a bantam EE hen both went broody within a week...

in the shuffle of hens, they mixed the eggs all up. they've hatched most of the original eggs, theres just about 5 left.

so tonight (now that i have a fresh dozen) i decided to give the first cochin hen all the oldest eggs and went and gave each of the remaining hens 6 eggs...

2 green
2 white
2 brown

those 2 never set a full 21 days so i figured they would do fine, i tried to break the EE hen out of broody but she was having NONE of that!

i've been making sure they have food n water everyday and they have been doing good so far but i am going to try and get some dishes rigged-up tomorrow in each 'nesting crate'
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has anyone else ever let their hens set twice? will it be too hard on them or should they be okay as long as i keep them fed and hydrated? theyre also getting some calf mana as a supplement.
 
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I'm kinda going through a similar situation. My broody hatched 3 chicks 2weeks ago. On Tues I finally let her back outside (her nesting crate was in my garage). I gave her one of the chicks to raise and put the other two in the brooder. Well she got spooked by something, ended up in a tree and left the chick behind (I never did find the little guy). But she started setting on the nest again, so I figured why not and put a few more eggs under her.

Now while she's great about setting, she does get off the nest once or twice a day to eat and drink and didn't seem to lose any weight. Do your girls eat and drink ok? If so I would think they should be fine.

Good luck!
 
The EE hen gets off regularly to eat and drink but the COCHINS (
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) just want to sit and sit and sit!!

the frizzle hen always loses weight when she sits so i am supplementing them this time around with the calf mana to help keep weight on.

i gotta figure out something to use in the morning in each box for food and water.

i got free plastic crates from the farm up the road, they always toss them along the fence and leave them there forever (most are busted), luckily the 2 i got were good, just a little misshapen. so far the hens like them a lot more than the wooden boxes.
 

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