Hatching with 2 broodies

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Quote: What a crazy story!! If it happened the night before, you could blame Santa, but who opened your coop and why were they all out? So weird!! Is your door latch openable? Do you have raccoon around there? They can open some latches. How sweet that the chicks ran to you and let you pick them up. I'm glad everyone was ok!

After a couple nights closing off the nest, it looks like the co-moms have worked something out and they're all on the roost now. Maybe Frida was just telling Rousseau that someone needed to stay in the nest for the bubbies, and it wasn't going to be her. Who knows? Even though they're all on the roost at night now, the moms are still pretty attached to their big babies by day, giving them treats, etc., and not looking interested in laying. I was wondering if it was common to brood for 10+ weeks, and then I saw one of the funniest threads I've seen on BYC (maybe even better than ours!): https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/401395/beat-this-record-how-long-broody-stays-with-chicks-pics
Enjoy!
 
Wow TGG, that is weird and very scary for you! So glad that everyone is OK. I wonder what is was also. It must have been 'something' for them to be moving around at night like that.

My morning catch-up on FB and BYC has had it's lows and highs .. cried my way through a video of service men and women surprising their children and families with their return from Iraq and then chuckled my way through the longest broody thread!

Tina and Suzi are 11 weeks old today and are really doing it tough with Cilla; she was constantly picking on them. If they are all in the run together the bubbies hide in one of the two coops and the only break they seem to get is at night or if I boot Cilla and Dusty out for a free range. The bubbies are interested in free ranging but it is not safe to let them out because if Cilla is anywhere near they panic-scatter and I am worried they will go through the fence or end up hurting themselves. Funnily enough they are great with me, they come when I call them and when I set up their temporary free-range pen they quite happily peck and scratch right next to me but as soon as Cilla comes over, they run :(
They are scared of Dusty also but she does not pick on them, basically just ignores them.

I just checked on everyone and Dusty is in the dust bath (typical), Cilla is stretched out right in the middle of the run and Suzi and Tina are nervously sitting in the coop.

I basically think that the problem is that Cilla has given them such a hard time they are so scared of her now. Cilla appears to have stopped hunting them down but they have not forgotten!

On boxing day I sweated it out in the shed converting an old timber fish tank stand into another spot for them to shelter from the weather, complete with tree branch perch. Hopefully also another place for Tina and Suzi to hide from Cilla. Having said that, haven't seen anyone use it yet!

Has anyone heard a similar story? I am wondering if I persevere until they are older; let them sort it out or is it time to start thinking about a permanent solution? I really do not want to have two separate families :(
Sadly, it does not seem fair that poor Tina and Suzi appear to spend the majority of the days they are all in the run together in hiding :(
Do you think I will ever get to see all four of them happily pecking in the garden together?
 
Since posting the above, I was watching them from inside as I think my presence sometimes causes issues with jealousy. Cilla and Dusty were in the run, checking out the new structure and the two bubbies had snuck out of the coop and were in the dust-bath, so maybe things are not as bad as I think they are. I understand they are establishing their pecking order but I do think Cilla can be a bit big for her boots but she is the matriarch! :)
I am going to hang in there for a bit longer, hopefully now that Cilla has stopped being so bossy the little ones will gain a little more confidence ... I will be very happy when I get to see them all scratching and happy together.

PS. Can't call them bubbies anymore! While still peeping they have also started making grown-up-chicken noises!
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Chickens are so crazy. I was watching the funny thread Liz suggested.....that was GREAT by the way. One extreme...and the other the Mad Momma. The poor chicks. I obviously have no idea or experience but one thing I have read over and over on the forum is that the momma hens know what they are doing. I'm sure she is just getting the pecking order, like you said, in order. Queenie is the boss and the others should act accordingly
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I'll bet in no time they will be running around dust bathing and chasing bugs together...making sure Cilla goes first!!!

Sassy keeps her distance these days. She is not allowed anywhere near the chicks. Miss Molly tolerates the boys around the chicks but if Molly even sees Sassy, shes on her in a flash. It's been OK because Molly has spent so much time in the nesting box, but now that she is spending more time on her own. She lets the chicks peck around in the coop by themselves and when she is out...poor Sassy is hiding behind the coop until she goes back in. I'm sure it wont last... I hope. As for my drama. I'm thinking a rat or something got in the coop and the door...that is not much of a door was not secured well. (hubby was the last one in...) and they could have all run out..and couldnt get back in?? a possibility. I have seen a lot of dead rats lately...my kitty brings them to me all the time. Thanks Emmitt!! What I dont know is how the chicks got separated from momma. Anyway, all is well and that is what matters.
 
Yep, for sure TGG, chickens do be crazy!!
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Once Cilla dumped the little ones her and Dusty became best buds again; I am sure Miss Molly and Sassy will do the same. The rest of the family seem to be very understanding of a mumma's moods and forgive their crankiness pretty quickly.

So, I threw caution to the wind, and opened up all the coop and run doors to the outside world and let everyone do their own thing. While Suzi and Tina were cautious of Cilla they didn't go into a panic-scatter and just ran back into the coop when Cilla chased them. She only did it a couple of times and only half-hearted. Otherwise, the little ones had a wonderful time in the garden, exploring, digging and eating bugs! A couple of times they even just stepped out of her way as she passed, rather than run, and she didn't give them a second glance. Cilla and Dusty seemed way more accepting of the little ones in the garden and on one occasion, when the little ones shot past them, they were looking at them as if to say "what is your problem"? lol.
You could literally see the little ones confidence growing while they were outside. :)
 
Quote: I did too. I cant wait to see how this turns out!!!! hahahahaha another example of team work! Crazy girl. I like her!!
It mentions on the thread pioneer women having done this in their corsetts and others mentioned having heard stories of their grandmothers doing the same thing in hard times. I already thought of trying it but I'm so clumsy I just know I would bump into someone...or give someone a hug and forget for a minute....
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