Two broodies in one pen? Will it work?

[Wynette]

I have two broodies that I'd like to give eggs to at the same time; my plan (when I only had one) was to put her and her nest into a small horse stall (it's about 6' x 9') with her box in the corner. This would give her privacy, plus room to walk & stretch her wings when she leaves the nest.

Now I have TWO broodies...I'd love to use them both to hatch, but my only option right now would be to put them BOTH in the same horse stall. Will this work?

If I wait another two weeks, my breeder cage/broody buster pen will be empty, but I'm leery to move one of them at the two week mark. I searched & searched on here and can't find feedback on two broodies in one pen...thanks for your thoughts!

 

[coldupnorth]

It may work - my sister has two hens that regularily share the same nest and help raise the brood together. That being said, sometimes just moving a broody will stop her broodiness. They seem to like to choose where they want to brood. I had three broodies recently and wanted to move them to a safer spot from the rest of the flock. Within a day, two of them decided that they were done being broody, so I'm down to one.

 

[Wynette]

Hmm....good info., cold - thanks for the feedback. Neither of these gals are in a place I'd be comfortable with them brooding in, so they'll both have to be moved anyway if I choose to allow them to hatch. Maybe it's just not the right time for them. Seems it's never quite exactly perfect timing when they go broody (at least not for ME!).

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I do it with a few clutches.


My Silver Laced Bantam cochins - when they have a clutch of chicks - all raise them in my front yard in a small section, maybe 4 by 6 feet. Rarely are there any dust ups, most all get along and will happily feed any chick that comes to the food call. I even have two sets of "sisters" who brood eggs together and then split the chicks between them - honestly neither I nor the chicks know which broody hatched them.


My large fowl, I have a larger pen - 16 by 20 feet that "contain" my broodies and their chicks until the chicks are three weeks or so - then they all get turned out with the flock. I have more "troubles" with the large fowl - one hen deciding another is not allowed within 5 feet of her --- but there are never any bloody bodies or dead chicks

I even have two sets - in different runs/pastures - who are raising their chicks right in the coop with the rest of the flock. I did have a small problem in Marilyn's pasture - two his girls (yes Mar is a boy) went broody. Suddenly I had pecked dead chicks showing up - turns out one of the nonbroody girls (susan) was killing her sister's (Sunny) chicks. Susan is now enjoying freezer camp as that is one trait I will NOT put up with. Her last day, I caught Susan chasing the chick down in the pasture to try and kill it.




So yes, I think it will work and wonderfully............after my long drawn out stories.

 

[mstricer]

Whatcha hatching?

 

[Wynette]

HorseF - I'm more specifically interested in whether or not it would "work" to have them actually incubate the eggs together, in the same stall. If I put nest boxes for them in opposite corners, so they'd be 8-9 feet apart from each other...would they leave each other alone?

One is a Jersey Giant, the other a Tomaru Longcrower. Both have been persistent, neither has ever brooded before. I was goign to put olive eggers under one, and Black Copper Marans under the other.

 

[mstricer]

I think it will work. They probably will set next to one another and talk have like a hatching buddie. My BCM is sitting on Duccles.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Yes, I believe they will. The most "mix up" I have had with them brooding together is sometimes they switch kennels (I use small plastic dog kennels for my girls to brood in). My girls do not seem to mind, if they swap kennels, even if I pull them out and put them back in the correct kennel.


One thing I would do - is be sure to offer two water dishes and two feed dishes. Sometimes a hungry broody is crabby to her neighbor.

It sounds like a fantastic set up. Much less labor intensive than what I do - brood in the kennel (in their coops) and move the kennel daily to the outdoor run area. Open the door for the broodies and then collect them all in the evening and back into the coop for the night.

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Hmm....maybe I should put them a bit closer, like on the short end of the stall, which would put them about 5' apart...?

Awe....I have a BCM that is THE most persistent, but she's not broody right now.

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
I do have some plastic dog kennels, and could put those in the stall corners with the doors removed...I was planning on just using some rubber feed pans (large ones, like you use for horses) - would you think more privacy (in the way of the kennels) would be in order?

BTW, thanks for all the feedback - it's super helpful!