Two Broodies Sharing 5 Eggs

[Chicky Tocks]

I started out with one broody on 5 eggs. It wasn't my intention to hatch any more this year because I've run out of room, but I couldn't resist letting the broody hatch a few so I caved. I marked all of her eggs and have been removing any fresh ones laid in her nest by the other hens. Now I have a second broody sitting right next to her. These two have been sharing the nest and the 5 eggs for about six days now. They're quite funny and will steal the eggs back and forth from each other. The chicks are due July 6.

I'm worried about hatch day now. The box they're in is plenty big for one hen with a few chicks for a few days, but two hens are too many and I'm afraid that they'll fight over the chicks and end up killing them. I would feel bad about taking the chicks inside and putting them in the brooder because it's been a long hot job for the hen and she deserves to be a mom. I've considered tossing out one of the hens closer to hatch day and then putting some poultry wire over the entrance of the nest to keep the others out.

Is there any better advice for me?

 

[Judy]

Your choice, really. You can intervene, or let them sort it out. If you want a strong flock, you might let nature take its course and see who survives.

Last year I had 3 Kraienkoppe hens who shared setting duties as well as mothering duties. #1 was mostly the setter but got taken by a predator. #2 and #3 took over setting and raising the chick duties. This year, #3, who did the end part of raising last years' chick, set the eggs and is raising the chicks, most of which are feed store chicks, as the shipped eggs I got for her mostly did not hatch.

Not sure what you mean by two hens are too many. My 3 shared one lone chick last year, when the other eggs did not hatch. Not to say other hens would, of course. You just really do not know what they will do til they do it.

Oh, I did not separate the mamas from the flock after hatch, only during setting, to keep the other hens from harassing the broody. Can't deal with chicken jail -- but for a broody, it is not jail, it is keeping others out. I always let her out every AM. She would eat, poop, and drink, even scratch in the weeds a bit, then go back to the nest.

 

[Camelot Farms]

We had 2 BlackTail Bantams lay 18 eggs between them and both brooded the nest. It was funny to see them crowd in there but they did it.

We had 9 hatch and the mama's seemed to do a great job of taking care of them all. When we would go to the pen to feed and water, they would both herd the babies to the nest and cover them. Whoever ended up under whichever mama didnt seem to matter to these girls.

Good luck!

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Thank you all for the responses.

I think maybe the babies will be ok with the two broodies as moms now. The only other dilemma is that the nest box is up high. (picture posted below) You can see that the stairs lead up to it. I'm not so sure that a chick could navagate that up and down so I'm wondering if I should put a milk crate on it's side down below and fill it with hay so that the hens can take care of the babies on ground level.

I would just open the pop door and let the broodies and chicks inside the coop, but currently on that side of the split coop are 5 four week old cuckoo marans...and I'm not sure they're ready to integrate with the teenagers yet (13 weekers) on the other side of the coop and run.