Community nest with broody birds... Have you had that happened. How did it go

[ivy_huan]

Hi guys
I have 2 chicken 2 ducks and 2 geese sitting on eggs right now

Most of my birds free ranging except a few ducks. The one one chicken is sitting on is a community nest with many laid there... I didn't notice her being broody till a few days later. Now some of the eggs she sits on are developing in different rate. I assume I'm gonna have to take the eggs to finish the incubating process myself

What about geese. I have a goose sitting under the kids slide and another goose goes and lay next to her. And I think she moves those eggs under her too ... What am I gonna do with that situation. I can't go near the nest or she freaks out

Has anyone had that happened before
How did it turn out

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

With a staggered hatch and mix species more than likely there will be a lot of abandoned eggs that didn't finish hatching. I also find if my chickens lay where my ducks are laying eggs get broken which contaminates the nest, and eggs rot.

It's always best to set eggs at one time with one species. You also don't need chickens raising ducks or vice versa as they grow up and will try to mate each other. That will end up bad for the chickens.

With my geese it's the same. I try to remove extra eggs. Otherwise it becomes a mess in my experiences. A few will hatch and the rest will be abandoned. I had one gosling hatch out 3 days later than the rest and the geese were attacking it. Just depends what you want to deal with.

 

[ivy_huan]

With a staggered hatch and mix species more than likely there will be a lot of abandoned eggs that didn't finish hatching. I also find if my chickens lay where my ducks are laying eggs get broken which contaminates the nest, and eggs rot.

It's always best to set eggs at one time with one species. You also don't need chickens raising ducks or vice versa as they grow up and will try to mate each other. That will end up bad for the chickens.

With my geese it's the same. I try to remove extra eggs. Otherwise it becomes a mess in my experiences. A few will hatch and the rest will be abandoned. I had one gosling hatch out 3 days later than the rest and the geese were attacking it. Just depends what you want to deal with.

I tried to separate the nests and I'm getting really confused with them.
I first tried to move my broody hen to her own nest with just chicken eggs. She keeps on going back to the duck eggs. Then I separate them apart and leave three nests in the pen. End up the two ducks sitting on one nest and chicken on one and one nest got abandoned
I think I may have to keep my incubator going for a while to finish the hatching once some hatched and mama got off the nest.

With geese nest tho I can't get close to the one she is sitting on. I might have to finish that one too and hopefully the other one will keep on laying eggs till she gets to sit

I also caged my other chicken so there is no community nest in the open barn