Hen separation

[Grid Betch]

Anybody should hens always be separated prior to hatchings. I have 2 hens due at sametime. Should they be separated?

 

[nchls school]

If the hens are sharing a nest, it would be best to place a divider in it so each hen has her own eggs to care for. The divider should be high enough to prevent the hens from stealing the other's eggs, but low enough so the hens can see in each others' nest. If the hens get along there is no reason to separate them; often when chicks hatch at the same time the hens will raise their chicks together; coparenting. Should they not get along, then they may have to be separated until the chicks are a bit bigger and are able to run away from others of the flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Anybody should hens always be separated prior to hatchings. I have 2 hens due at sametime. Should they be separated?

Hard to say. Many people do this without problems but I try to avoid it. One time I had a broody abandon her nest when the other hen's eggs started internal pip. Th chicks start chirping then and she heard them. She went to the other eggs to take them over but that broody was having none of it. The two fought and destroyed about half the eggs.

Often they stay on their own nest. Sometimes they work together to hatch and raise the chicks. Nobody can tell you what will happen.

I don't know how many eggs you have under each hen or how big the hens and eggs are. If I were dong this and could, I'd put all the eggs under one hen since they are all due at the same time and break the other from being broody. But that's the way I'd have started them.

You may be fine as you are. You may have problems. You may be better off if they can't get to each other's nests. I just don't know.

 

[birdlover2]

It's hard to say, you may leave them, because seperating could cause problems, but keeping them together could lead to all the eggs being smashed. Do the hens normally get along? Were they raised together? If the answers are yes then you could keep them together but keep an eye on them either way. Especially near hatching.

 

[nchls school]

Hard to say. Many people do this without problems but I try to avoid it. One time I had a broody abandon her nest when the other hen's eggs started internal pip. Th chicks start chirping then and she heard them. She went to the other eggs to take them over but that broody was having none of it. The two fought and destroyed about half the eggs.

Often they stay on their own nest. Sometimes they work together to hatch and raise the chicks. Nobody can tell you what will happen.

I don't know how many eggs you have under each hen or how big the hens and eggs are. If I were dong this and could, I'd put all the eggs under one hen since they are all due at the same time and break the other from being broody. But that's the way I'd have started them.

You may be fine as you are. You may have problems. You may be better off if they can't get to each other's nests. I just don't know.

X 2. Very well stated.