Nest Stealing!

[queenbeezz]

Just thought I'd share this with you. On the bottom is my Bantam Splash Cochin, "Splash". One the top is Gabby, a RIR, named so because she never shuts up. Always walking around talking.

Anyway, Splash has already hatched two batches of babies since Feb, raised them and done a good job at it. The nest they are in belongs to Gabby. She's been sitting now for about 2 and a half weeks. Almost to the finish line! Along comes Splash and takes over!. This is her pattern! She never sits a nest. It's like she counts the days on her little toes and BAM she steals the nest, finish hatching the babies and raises them!

"MINE! NO! MINE!"

 

[BellevueOmlet]

I love the pic. My chickens do that all of the time with egg laying but didn't think baout it happening with broodies.

 

[queenbeezz]

My girls all want to lay in the same nest. There are 10 boxes in the coop but they will line up like planes on the runway to lay in ONE box. Sometimes they will double up in the box.

Splash, however, rarely will hatch her own chicks. Her last brood belonged to a silkie. My kids thought it would be funny to stick a goose egg under the silkie and when Splash stole the nest she hatched the gosling out too. She hatched out 4 silkie chicks plus a gosling, how she covered them all is beyond me! She is an excellent Mother.

 

[Dutchgirl]

My girls do the same. Occasionally I come in and find three to a box.

Even more rarely I've found four... this is only possible with bantams.