Is it safe for two hens to mother?

[guinea fowl galore]

Is it safe for the chicks?
I've had two bantam hens share the incubation and mothering but I'm wondering how it would go with large hens. If anyone has any experience with this, please share.

 

[seminolewind]

I don't know. My last multi-mom hatch was 4 silkie hens hatching and raising 2 silkie chicks! I don't know about standard chickens.

 

[WFF]

I had 2 Black Australorps raise 20 hatchery Rhode Island Reds and they did a great job.

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

I had success with 2 japanese bantam moms sharing the nest, they shared the chicks and both were mom when they hatched. They did great.
BUT... I had 2 serama hens share the nest and they failed because they laid eggs at different times and kept pulling the eggs under them back and forth. When one from the first batch hatched they both continued to keep tucking the rest of the eggs back and forth and neither of them got up to teach the baby to eat I believe. They covered him and kept him warm but neither hen would leave the eggs behind to help him and after 2 days he died. It upset me and the rest of the eggs went into the bator so I don't know what would have happened, but a few more hatched right away, and a few almost 2 weeks later so I'm sure if I did nothing some more would have been lost.

 

[Lacrystol]

Yes, two hens can share the hatchings, in fact I had a bantam sit for 14 days a silkie took over and finished the job. Once the job was done, the bantam wanted to claim the chick so instead of them fighting for it they both raised it..

Two Mommy's are better then one, sometimes..

 

[Harrietsmum]

 

[guinea fowl galore]

They're all beautiful

I guess it will just be a trial as every hen is different. I hope things go well

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
Are you asking large hens, with bantam eggs? I just had a horrible experience with a BCM hatching Silkie eggs, she had 4 chicks and one D'Uccle (1 week old I gave her after she hatched out) Day one all good she was still sitting on them just warming, Day 2 - I checked on them all before work everyone was good and warm and quite, then I came home she most of got restless from being locked in a brooder house and wanted to scratch around well she ended up killing 3 of the Silkies,

I guess they were just to little for her, I found them buried, the white silkie and d'uccle were hiding in the nesting box just crying, I saved the silkie and left her with the older D'Uccle, she did fine with it, it was a week older and already eating. I won't be doing that again. Just my story
Michele

 

[guinea fowl galore]

No. I mean standard hens with standard chicks.
Light sussex mums and Light sussex chicks.

 

[silkielover5]

i have 2 moms raising 13 chicks togther right now and their doing great