Cobrooding - is this normal, and should I interfere?

[melina90]

My silkie bantam has been laying on eggs for 14 days now when suddenly my bantam kochin decides to join her. Literally join her, lying beside her on the same eggs in the same corner of the same nesting box. Is this normal? How will things go as the baby chicks start to hatch? They seem peaceful and friendly towards eachother, but I've never heard of two chickens brooding eggs and raising chickens together. Anyone have any input on this? Should I move the bantam kochin to the other hen house and give her a set of eggs to brood on her own?

 

[Rowdie]

I've seen it in ducks and chickens quite often. They always found a hiding place though, it wasn't in a nesting box. It never seemed to be an issue.

 

[farmer boy]

how many eggs do you have under the hens ? ... it prob could be easier to if there are two of them are the eggs standard or bantam eggs if they are standard it will help with having to silkies can only hold up to 6 bantam eggs under her so

 

[melina90]

Thanks for answering! Didn't know it was normal.

The eggs are standard eggs, and they had 6 eggs all together. I made a decision and candled all the eggs. The 3 eggs that was furthest developed I gave to my silkie, who has been brooding them for the last two weeks. The 3 eggs with the least development (some of them just a couple of days along) I gave to my bantam kochin. Moved the BK to another nesting box, and if she's determined to brood she'll stay on the eggs. If not I'll just release her back with the flock and stuff the eggs into my incubator.

 

[jak2002003]

It can happen. Its happened with my chickens 2 time. First time it was 2 hens on one nest. The 2nd time it was 3!

I just left them to it because they were not fighting.

When the chicks hatched the babies had 3 moms to keep watch over them.

There were not problems.

It was cute at night as the hens would all pile together and all the chicks would climb all over them and heads sticking out everywhere.