First one broody, ok, but now two, together...

[spencereb]

Hello everybody,
Last week I posted that my one broody hen had too many eggs to sit on...I try to harvest regularly.
I got some really good posts, but now her sister has decided to sit with her!...right beside her!
I have no clue how many eggs they are tending, but my problem is that the eggs are starting off at different times!, each day, they drag a few more under them!
So, what happens in this scenario?...Any experience with this kinda thing?
-Spence
Also, how do you post images on this forum?
-Thanks

 

[92caddy]

What I do when a hen goes to sit in the coop is I mark her eggs with a marker or such and then I check her eggs everyday and the ones that are not marked I know was laid that day so I take them eggs not marked. You need to find a way to stop them from taking on more eggs everyday. I dont know your set up so I dont know how to advise you on that. my hens go to sit in a nest box and I will sometimes put something over the whole to keep other hens from getting in and laying in with her, then every evening I take the cover off and allow her to get up to eat, drink, run or whatever. I hope this was of some help to you. Good luck........ed

 

[spencereb]

92caddy,
First, I'm not sure how anybody could check up on, or mark, eggs under a broody hen. I leave for work at 7:30 am & get home 'round about 6:00p. She (they) are never off the nest!..Do I just pick 'em up off the nest whenever I need to? Even over the week end, I didn't notice them off the nest.
Also, I have no real way to isolate the rest of the flock from them...especially for any extended period of time.
I'm guessing, after three weeks, if most chicks hatch and the two hens abandon any left over eggs, that I could just take those eggs left behind and try to incubate them to the finish, but then would one of the two broody hens take them as their own? And, how will two mother hens react to all these prospective chicks?
-Spence

 

[92caddy]

You can either get the eggs out from underneath her or left her up and sit her aside, then you mark the eggs and then put eggs or her back. I would do that everyday til the eggs hatch. I would try to keep the others from laying in with them as much as poss. After 3 weeks, whatever dont hatch you could put them in a bator, but the more eggs that are laid in with them, the more chicks you are going to have hatching at different times. It wont hurt the eggs if she is off them for a while, while you are looking for fresh laid eggs or while you mark em. Ive had hens leave the eggs for a day and a half before I noticed, I put them under another hen and every egg hatched.

Having 2 moms can be trying, some will do fine and share the raising of the chicks and some wont get along. You'll just have to wait and see how they get along.

Some hens will get off the nest every day and some will get off every 2 or 3 days. Ive had hens stay off the nest for a few mins. and some sty off as long as an hour. All depends on the hen.

Good luck........