Two broodies in one pen? Will it work?

[Ridgerunner]

Many people do have multiple broodies and it works out OK. But they are living animals and anything can happen. I'll try mentioning a few things that can go wrong. Not to panic you and not to say any of them will definitely happen. Just to mention a few things that might happen where you can watch for them. They have all been reported on this forum.

Since yours are starting at the same time, many of these won't apply. They can steal eggs from each other, which would give you a staggered hatch. You overcome that by marking the eggs differently and making sure the right hen has the right eggs.

If one hatches earlier than the other, the late one might hear the hatching chicks and abandon her nest to go help with the ones that are hatching.

Sometimes one broody will kill the chicks that hatch under the other hen. Of course, non-broody hens can do this too, but it seems to get mentioned on this forum more often when it is another broody. Sometimes the two broodies are sharing a nest when this happens.

Some broodies get confused about which nest is theirs. You could wind up with both broodies on the same nest.

Sometimes two broodies fight over eggs or especially the chicks. As long as the chicks or the broodies don't get severely hurt, it is probably not a big deal. Depending in circumstances, one broody can probably raise all the chicks.

Many people report broodies sharing nests or working together to raise the chicks. It seems to work out most of the time. But stuff sometimes happens. The closest I've experienced any of this was when one broody was raising her chicks while another broody was on the nest. I never had any problems, but the first broody had weaned her chicks before the second one hatched hers. And mine brood the eggs with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock, so a different situation than you have.

Good luck however you decide.

 

[maitia17960]

My Serama and Slikie Hens sit on eggs together all the time. I don’t try to separate them anymore because if I do they will always go back to the first box with the other hen and let the eggs in the new place get cold. When the chicks hatch they just raise them together. The chicks don’t know who hatched them and the hens don’t care. They just let any chick that wants to get under them and they all protected and feed the chicks as one. Right now I have 2 slikie and 1 Sebright that brooded together in a dog box. Also I have two that brooded in a nest box and two that brooded in a corner of the big pen, behind a some wood I had propped up there. The Chicks started to hatch this weekend. The only thing I watch for is to make sure all eggs hatch when the hens leave the box. If any are left I candle and put the good one in the incubator. When they hatch I slip the chicks under one of the hens when they are strong enough to keep up. That is what I have to do because my hens seem to like to brood together in one place even when there are a lot of nest boxes left empty. Here are some pictures of them together.

 

[Wynette]

maitia - okay, how cute are those pics!

So someone PMd me and asked if there is any way I could split the horse stall with chicken wire or something - it's a good idea, and it might be doable. BUT - how high would the chickenwire need to be - i.e., could I do like 3' high, or would they try to fly over...my hope would be that being broody takes full concentration & they wouldn't be inclined to fly over, but...just curious what others' thoughts are on this?

ETA - Ridge - thanks for your comments - those are lots of good things to consider. I did do several searches on here but never found anything specifically about 2 hens in the same enclosure brooding.

 

[Bantam Chase]

Growing up I had the most fantastic pair of hens - one was black with silver penciling on her neck, the other was black with gold penciling... regular backyard standard/bantam mutts, but wonderful temperaments and would brood on a brick if I let them. My most successful hatch was when they paired up - I moved them to a 3x5' pen, gave them a plant flat for a nest and kept shoving eggs under them like no tomorrow (I was maybe 13 - the more eggs the better, right?) Those two girls together hatched out 32 chicks with a 100% hatch rate on a staggered clutch. They took turns brooding the eggs and rearing the chicks... So yes, it can definitely work. No guarantees that it will, but it has happened numerous times!

 

[Wynette]

Well, it's not working.

Spent hours this past Saturday converting a small donkey stall into a "broody stall" for the two broody hens I have...was SO hoping they would continue to be broody and that I could slip eggs under each on Sunday. Neitehr is using the dog crates I have in there for them. What did I do wrong?

After taking the pic, I draped towels over each crate to darken them inside - they are much darker in the crates than in the pen. I don't have a way to darken the actual lighting in the stall, but am wondering if that is the issue? I can't imagine, as I prop open the doors to their coops each day, so during a sunny day, that much light would be coming into the coops naturally anyway.

I even had another gal go broody Saturday, so I put her into the front half with the other hen. All 3 are still making broody noises and poofing themselves up, but none are going into the kennels. I have shavings and a wood egg in each kennel. (I realize that if they DID hatch chicks, I'd have to add some hardware cloth or something to the bottom of the orange snow fencing so the chicks wouldn't be able to get through.)

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

[mstricer]

I now have 2 girls that are broody. My Spitzenhauben (Ms Cruella) is totally in the trance I don't think she leaves the nest, screams when you come near, but will let me look for extras. My BCM just clucks a lot. She will take food and treats from me. She does get down from her eggs daily extras are always found. My girls are in main coop where I will leave them for now. Moving the BCM proved senseless she always makes it back to main coop and nesting box leaving eggs behind. Good Luck Michele

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might try locking them on the nest all day. Keep the nest pitch black and don't let them out until the next morning. If they are in decent shape, it should not hurt them. They usually go practically a full day without leaving the nest for food and water anyway. My only concern is if it is really hot in there. Your stall should be OK from that aspect.

That is the risk of moving a broody, she breaks. I have used this all day locked in the dark and it worked.

Good luck!

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
I wondered about that, too. I did remove the front grill of each of the crates but could easily put them back on. I think it's a good idea and since I was wondering about doing that anyway, I'll ty it tonight. Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd try it now if you can. Don't wait for them to get out of the broody mood.

 

[Wynette]

If I could, I'd be in the barn NOW!! Sadly, I work full time, so it will have to wait until early evening. However, both of these gals have been broody 3-4 times already this year, so one would "think" it wouldn't take much to entice them to do so again!

Thanks for the feedback - oh, on the heat level - it CAN get hot in my barn, but when it's supposed to be over the mid-80s, I put a fan outside the stalls.