Double Broody Dilemma!

[LateBirdFarms]

I've got a pair of broodies in the coop at the moment that I didn't have the heart to cage and break while it's so cold, since everyone is hunkered down in the coop in any case during this lovely weather. Unfortunately its day 19 for both of them, and one has gotten off her nest to snuggle in with the other! They both only had two eggs each, and I'm fairly certain the abandoned pair have gotten much too cold actually finish to hatching... Do I break the one broody at this late date, or try sneaking one of the other eggs under her as it starts to hatch?

 

[JaeG]

I would still try the cold eggs - it takes a long time for the internal temperature of the egg to get cold enough to kill the developing chick.

2 broodies may fight over the chicks so you may have to separate the one who will be raising the chicks to their own area that the other cannot access. Occasionally they'll share nicely, but chicks can also be killed by them being fought over, so better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

In your position I would continue with the cold eggs in hopes that they hatch. If they don’t hatch, you will hopefully still have 2 chicks and you can give one to each hen. Or you could order chicks for the broody with no chicks, they would just be hatched a little later than hers would have been.

I had 3 simultaneous broodies last summer and they did end up fighting over the chicks, so that is something to watch out for.

 

[Chookchicken]

I’d try and put the eggs under one of the hens (preferably the dedicated one). And also as @JaeG said I’d separate the two broody’s, the one that is raising her chicks into one area (separate from the main coop area, but still close enough they can see and communicate with each other), and the second one we have a few options, try and break her broodyness, let her be broody and come off it herself, or try and get her to raise her own chicks, I’d recommend one of the first two. You can introduce the chicks to the flock when their 4-6 weeks old, they will most likely get pecked but they can some of what protect their selfs, especially if they’ve grown up being able to see and talk to the other chickens. Hope this helps wishing you and your chickens the best of luck

 

[LateBirdFarms]

I haven't removed the cold eggs yet, I've got my fingers crossed for them but they were chilling for roughly 8hrs in -19c, from the video it looks like mom to be hopped off the nest to drop her broody load in the wee hours of the night and climbed back into the wrong nest with her sister. Ive never had two broodies at once, so I had no idea they might not be civil with eachother! That's super good to know before anyone hatched! I've got them seperate from the rest of the flock, but not eachother, so I think that's step one for sure. This might have been a bullet dodged instead of a dilemma after all! Thanks folks!