Help!
Two of my hens are broody - my Orphington is sat on a clutch of 6 eggs, day 18 and I also have a Mille Fleur bantam which is sat on two eggs, day 16. The hens share a coop with 7 other hens. I had previously decided against moving the broody hens until the chicks had hatched as did not want to risk breaking the hens, also there is plenty of room in the coop (four nesting boxes and two poles that the other 7 hens roost on at night).
I just went down to the chicken run and the Mille Fleur was off her nest for food/water. I went to check for eggs and found one of my other bantams (not broody) pecking viciously at the two day 16 eggs!! I grabbed her before she could break them. Mille Fleur is now back on the nest.
I am stuck on what to do. The eggs have made it this far without harm but I don't want to not separate the broody's from the rest of the flock and end up with broken, dead eggs. My options:
1) Leave them as they are and hope that the non-broody bantam doesn't return and kill the eggs.
2) Move the broody's to a safe place (with the risk of breaking them)
3) Section off the nest so the other chickens cannot get to the eggs. I was planning on doing this as the chicks were hatching, as it seemed less disruptive than moving the broody mama and her eggs but still some protection for the hatching chicks. My coop has four next boxes (two next to each-other and on each side) so would remove the nest divider so each broody chicken has the space of two nesting boxes, and then seal this space off from the nest of the coop. My only worry with doing this is that they will become agitated (??) as it doesn't give them much space.
I really don't know what to do. I don't want to disturb the broody's. I'm hoping it was just a fluke, but also worried that if I don't act the non-broody bantam will return next time one of the broody's is off the nest and attack the eggs again.
Two of my hens are broody - my Orphington is sat on a clutch of 6 eggs, day 18 and I also have a Mille Fleur bantam which is sat on two eggs, day 16. The hens share a coop with 7 other hens. I had previously decided against moving the broody hens until the chicks had hatched as did not want to risk breaking the hens, also there is plenty of room in the coop (four nesting boxes and two poles that the other 7 hens roost on at night).
I just went down to the chicken run and the Mille Fleur was off her nest for food/water. I went to check for eggs and found one of my other bantams (not broody) pecking viciously at the two day 16 eggs!! I grabbed her before she could break them. Mille Fleur is now back on the nest.
I am stuck on what to do. The eggs have made it this far without harm but I don't want to not separate the broody's from the rest of the flock and end up with broken, dead eggs. My options:
1) Leave them as they are and hope that the non-broody bantam doesn't return and kill the eggs.
2) Move the broody's to a safe place (with the risk of breaking them)
3) Section off the nest so the other chickens cannot get to the eggs. I was planning on doing this as the chicks were hatching, as it seemed less disruptive than moving the broody mama and her eggs but still some protection for the hatching chicks. My coop has four next boxes (two next to each-other and on each side) so would remove the nest divider so each broody chicken has the space of two nesting boxes, and then seal this space off from the nest of the coop. My only worry with doing this is that they will become agitated (??) as it doesn't give them much space.
I really don't know what to do. I don't want to disturb the broody's. I'm hoping it was just a fluke, but also worried that if I don't act the non-broody bantam will return next time one of the broody's is off the nest and attack the eggs again.
thankfully she has gotten over her issues though.
