Can two friends brood together?

[savingdogs]

I have just two orloffs in my flock and they have gone broody together. Can two hens together hatch eggs? Should I set them up with a box each, near each other? Will they hurt each other's chicks? These two hens have always been friends.

 

[PippyChicken]

Mine do that. One of my serama girls will go broody and so will the other one and they get along good too!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Many people successfully have multiple broodies like that, but some people have problems. Nobody can tell you for sure what will happen. Some of the things that might happen.

1. Everything goes great. They hatch together and work well raising them together.

2. One hen will kill the chicks that hatch under the other hen as they hatch.

3. The hens will fight over the eggs or chicks, injuring or killing the chicks or eggs. If they share a nest, one may try to kick the other off. If they have two separate nests, one may try stealing eggs from the other or take over the other nest. Yes, chickens can carry eggs from one nest to another. Even if you have two different hens with different aged chicks, one hen may decide she wants all the chicks.

4. If you have two broodies in separate nests but close together, if one broody starts to hatch, the other may abandon her nest when she hears the chicks chirping and go try to help the other hen with those chicks, or maybe try to take them away.

I personally would not try it, but many people do and it works out OK. Good luck however you decide.

 

[savingdogs]

Well we tried to put a broody hen in an area adjacent to the chicken run when she went broody, but as soon as we moved her there she abandoned her broodiness and just stressed out about being with the other chickens. I thought this togetherness idea would fix that problem. I guess I just need to try it and see and then try to protect the chicks.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

One of my Buff Ducks went broody last week and has been "team brooding" her nest with the other remaining Buff Duck. The other Buff Duck will often get off the nest and find something to eat or hang out by the pool for a while, kind of on guard for the duck on the nest. It's actually a little hilarious/cute.

 

[Carolyn]

I am glad you asked that question as I have 2 hens on the same nest that are due to hatch in a couple of days. I've wondered about these issues. Hopefully it will go well for both of us.