Question about putting several broods together with mamas

[Marshaharrell]

We have a situation that we haven’t dealt with before and need advice. We have two hens that are broody, sitting on 8 eggs each. They have been in the same yard for around a year and were actually raised together as chicks. Their eggs should hatch on the same day, 5/25. Would it be okay to put the two hens and their broods in the same broody house? Will they coparent or at least coexist? We already have a brood of 4 (3 weeks old)with their mama in our other broody house. Seems my Marans are brooderific this spring. We’re needing more chicks, so don’t really want to break them.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Sometimes they get along, sometimes they don't. I've had them raise batches alongside each other and co-parent; I've seen them ignore each other; I've had a hen scalp three chicks before I realised what was going on.

My hens usually raise their chicks in the flock. They're kept separate the first two-three days for the chicks to get their feet under them, then are dumped back in while Mama's still in angry broody mode. I've not had issues with doing this. I've found that bad things are likely to happen when two broodies with very young chicks (not smart enough to know who Mum is/run away) are confined together.

 

[Marshaharrell]

Our main yards have fencing the chicks can squeeze through. It’s a lot of fencing to cover with chicken wire. Our coops are also about 3 feet off the ground and the ramp is steep. First set of chicks we had, we left them and Mom in with general population. We were new to chickens and when they couldn’t make it up and we couldn’t catch them, we let mama stay out with them. An owl took out mama and one baby :-( Since then we’ve used our broody coop, which has a chick proofed fence on the run. Hubby made another broody coop, but now there are two plus the one whose chicks are still young.