Need tips/hacks for separating broody hens

[Frazzled chicken tender]

I have 3 hens that are broody right now with their own clutches of eggs. Not an ideal situation, I know. They are all in the same coop, in their own nesting boxes. I constructed a makeshift small fence to block off the broody who hatched first, then woke up this morning to find it knocked over and young chick dead. I know the set up isn’t ideal, to say the least. I was wondering how people handle/keep separate2 or 3 broody hens at one time. I can’t afford to construct brand new secure coops. I do have smaller Amazon coops outside the larger main coop. They are not as secure but I can try to make them more secure with bricks and wire. Also I think moving the broody hens along with their eggs is a bit tricky as they have never slept outside the coop. I could potentially construct something small inside the main coop for one hen, and move another hen to the outside coop. Thank you for any ideas!

 

[Perris]

Yes it's tricky, and sometimes is not necessary - some hens can manage, some not, some co-brood happily, some don't. How far apart are the 3 hatch dates? 1 clutch has already hatched apparently; when are the other 2 due?

 

[Frazzled chicken tender]

Yes it's tricky, and sometimes is not necessary - some hens can manage, some not, some co-brood happily, some don't. How far apart are the 3 hatch dates? 1 clutch has already hatched apparently; when are the other 2 due?

Thank you! They are a few days apart, it seems the hens get up and let other hens in to lay then hop back on. But I think roughly up to at most a week apart. One hen (I think the most aggressive but could be wrong) has the youngest eggs and keeps trying to steal the eggs of the mother whose baby was killed. I tried moving that one to an outside coop but she just wouldn’t settle on the eggs.
I feel really guilty that I’ve mishandled this. Add to that the young chick had started to trust me, which I hadn’t experienced before with chicks under a mother hen. Sorry.. I just realized I don’t have a good answer to your question. But 2 hens have clutches pretty close in hatch date within a few days. But the third more aggressive hen who keeps trying to steal eggs is on a much younger set. I put her on these hoping she would start her own and leave the other eggs alone. She was cramming herself in with the other hen trying to co parent. Now in hindsight that would have been better than the current situation.

 

[Perris]

Don't beat yourself up about it; this is how we all learn really. There's no substitute for experience, and no shortcuts to gaining that. The main thing is to observe, consider, maybe make some notes, and learn from any perceived mistakes so you don't do it again.

But the third more aggressive hen who keeps trying to steal eggs is on a much younger set. I put her on these hoping she would start her own and leave the other eggs alone. She was cramming herself in with the other hen trying to co parent. Now in hindsight that would have been better than the current situation.

Not necessarily.

It sounds like all clutches may be staggered hatches, so you will have some more heartache to come probably, when a broody leaves a nest with eggs still unhatched or keeps chicks on the nest longer than they can survive.

If I was in your place, I'd do what you tried already and separate the aggressive hen, but do it properly and shut her in with her clutch somewhere she can't escape to interfere with the other broodies or attract their chicks, when they hatch, into her nest. A dog crate within the coop or run perhaps?

 

[Frazzled chicken tender]

Don't beat yourself up about it; this is how we all learn really. There's no substitute for experience, and no shortcuts to gaining that. The main thing is to observe, consider, maybe make some notes, and learn from any perceived mistakes so you don't do it again.


Not necessarily.

It sounds like all clutches may be staggered hatches, so you will have some more heartache to come probably, when a broody leaves a nest with eggs still unhatched or keeps chicks on the nest longer than they can survive.

If I was in your place, I'd do what you tried already and separate the aggressive hen, but do it properly and shut her in with her clutch somewhere she can't escape to interfere with the other broodies or attract their chicks, when they hatch, into her nest. A dog crate within the coop or run perhaps?

Thank you so much. My husband is buying a dog crate and we are going to put her in with her eggs tonight. And I went to a thrift store and got another cage so hopefully we can keep them separated at this point. The second hen had a chick today, and now the mother who lost her chick gets up every time that chick peeps. Then she makes the “I found food noise”, so I think she must be confused and think it’s hers. She keeps leaving her remaining eggs, so I’m hoping she is able to sit on them because I think they are going to hatch soon. Thank you again for the advice, and encouragement!

 

[Mrs. K]

Deep breath, do remember a 50% live hatch rate at 3 days of life is AVERAGE. Do not feel guilty if a chick dies. A lot of them don't make it. Celebrate the live chicks, ignore the others.

If you get a couple of chicks, it might be best to split them out, regardless who they hatched for, and put them together as a clutch with a broody hen put them in a cage until it seems like they are a unit, and then let them out in the flock.

Leaving the other hen with eggs. As you get a few of those in 23-36 hours, put them again with just her, and put the remaining eggs with the 3rd late broody.

There is a strong possibility that a lot of those eggs are not going to hatch. Again, celebrate the ones that do, and let the others go.

Mrs K