My Broodies won't be Broody Without Each Other!

[Lilorp14]

So last night I put my 2 broody silkie hens in their own broody coops. I went out to check an hour later and my White silkie was packing her door trying to get out. I took her eggs out and replaced them with fake ones and decided to check on her in the morning. This morning I go out and she is still packing and had ripped up her cage. I put her in with the little gray silkie, who she had sat with for a few days before I moved them into the broody coops. The white silkie went right into the nest box and huddled in with her and her eggs.
1. The gray silkie's eggs are a week older than the white silkie's eggs. Would it be possible for them to brood together, or once Gray's eggs hatch would White either steal her chicks or abandon her nest?
2. They are pretty squished in a nest box. Should I remove it and just let them sit on the ground?
3. Should I try to separate them out again? If so, should I do it soon or later when the chicks are about to hatch?
Thanks! (Pics included)

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It has to do with you locked them out of their chosen nesting spot and NOT because they won't brood without the other. I promise if you let ONE go back she will happily brood away and not give a rats patootie about the other hen.

I would lock the one who's eggs hatch first into another nest ONCE hatch has began. None of my hens will set on a nest I moved. But none of them will leave a nest with active chicks *usually* until the chicks are able to follow.

In the future.. I personally would break a second broody trying to stay in the same box as a first sitter. And next time allow the opposite hen to sit. My Silkies were over the top broody.. back to back to back, every third egg.. EVEN if I let them hatch and raise a brood!

Pretty gals.

I can't see her pattern fully, but the one you call grey may be blue.. technically speaking.

Happy hatching!

 

[chickens really]

I personally would remove the one and break her if she won't set where you decide. Two Mommas won't work too well.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

I would personally separate them. I had two mamas brood together and even though I separated them as the first clutch started to pip and they were only 3 days apart, second mama wanted to kill first mama's babies, probably because they were bigger and she saw them as a threat to her own. And by "kill" I mean she would attack the mesh between the two brooder halves -- I was certainly glad I'd not left them together. Now I keep all broodies separate. It seems I always have 2 in unison (just had another 2 hatches 5 days apart). After 2 to 4 weeks, everyone seems to get along much better, especially if they can see each other beforehand, at least in my flock's case.

 

[Lilorp14]

Thanks for all the input, but I think I'll keep them together until the Grey's eggs are beginning to hatch. I also changed their nest box to one that is about 4 inches wider. The broods are a week apart, and maybe the night before the first hatch I'll move white into a separate brooder with the hatching eggs and leave gray on whites eggs to hatch them. She was fine when I moved her into her broody coop and stayed on the eggs happily. Do you think that would work? Thanks!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Beautiful birds! X2 @EggSighted4Life

 

[Lilorp14]

Beautiful birds! X2 @EggSighted4Life

It has to do with you locked them out of their chosen nesting spot and NOT because they won't brood without the other. I promise if you let ONE go back she will happily brood away and not give a rats patootie about the other hen.

I would lock the one who's eggs hatch first into another nest ONCE hatch has began. None of my hens will set on a nest I moved. But none of them will leave a nest with active chicks *usually* until the chicks are able to follow.

In the future.. I personally would break a second broody trying to stay in the same box as a first sitter. And next time allow the opposite hen to sit. My Silkies were over the top broody.. back to back to back, every third egg.. EVEN if I let them hatch and raise a brood!

Pretty gals.

I can't see her pattern fully, but the one you call grey may be blue.. technically speaking.

Happy hatching!

Do you really think she's a blue? I bought her as grey at a swap last June, and the guy didn't breed blues so idk....

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Do you really think she's a blue? I bought her as grey at a swap last June, and the guy didn't breed blues so idk....

Some people don't know the correct color names... but she COULD be grey.. which is technically silver penciled in Silkies... honestly I have never YET seen an actual silver pencil but LOT's of people calling their blues grey because they don't the correct terminology.

And I could be wrong.. but I don't think *serious* breeder will attend swaps.. and risk taking any unknown illness back to their flock. But then again most people aren't as uptight and meticulous (over thinking and cautious) as I am.

Yes, your moving plan sounds like it could work.

 

[aart]

I thought this looked familiar.
Duplicate thread here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-broodies-wont-be-broody-without-each-other.1295958/

 

[Lilorp14]

Hello everybody, just an update.
The hens had been going along fine up until this morning. The white one abandoned nest and was pacing again. I let her out and put her back with the other silkies because she didn't seem to have any interest in being broody or the eggs anymore. The gray manages fine on her own and can cover all the eggs. Only one or 2 of the white's eggs seem to be developing. Day 18 for G's eggs is Thursday, and hatch day is Sunday. W's eggs are 1 week later. I doubt Gray would stay on the eggs for that long when she has chicks to look after. Should I let her keep all the eggs or take the week younger ones out and try to hatch them in an incubator? If I hatched them in the incubator would she accept the chick(s) that were a week younger than her own or would she kill them? Thanks!