First time with broody hens!

[mhegge]

I have had chickens for 3 years now and I have my first broody hens. A Japanese Ohiki bantam who has been sitting for 6 days now and a Columbian Wyandotte who is sitting...and not lol. My Ohiki will had been pushing and accepting eggs for the first 4 days. I had tried marking them, but she would allow others to sit and lay (under a very close watch mind you) and it seemed like she was decided which eggs to keep, despite some being ones she had sat on for 2-3 days...normal and ok?? My Wyandotte starting sitting last night, hard core mean to try and get next to the nest, but then late afternoon/evening today she was off. I figured she wasn't quite there, but at night fall she is on the nest again and very feisty! Normal? Beginning to nest or just routine? And lastly, when the Wyandotte began sitting last night, one rooster has taken to sitting with her and sitting on eggs and another rooster has begun sitting directly above the Ohiki on her nest but he hadn't before...again, normal and what does it mean if anything?? And if eggs were added at later days, how do I know when the hen is done sitting and eggs that are going to hatch are done? The Wyandotte won't let me under her at all and the Ohiki I can reach under a bit, but she is getting more protective and has stopped letting the bigger/older hens sit in the coveted nest that she decided to claim!
Our birds are pastured and as natural as can be save a little feed here and there etc, so I am not going to assist in any way, but I also want to make sure that I am not doing something that would disrupt/discourage the natural cycle.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Sorry, but you sound like you're well on your way to a staggered hatch. I would discard all of the eggs she has and stick some new ones under her so that they all hatch at the same time. That or get an incubator for when she leaves the nest with four-five peeps, and leaves four-five unhatched eggs on the nest behind her.

As for how you can know development--here's an excellent thread.

And here's a decent article on broody hens.

EDT: As for the roosters... not normal behaviour, but the behaviour of a very good rooster. Some roosters help rear chicks, some don't. Love and encourage the ones that do.