Two Clucky Broody Pullets...

[Cerci]

I have two Pullets who have gone broody. They are not eating or drinking the food I supply and not moving from their nest. These are my first ever Broodies and I have been feeling really concerned they will die trying to hatch out blanks. I have been incubating two sets of eggs which just happened to almost coincide with them becoming broody (which they did a week or so apart) and plan to pop a couple of my incubating fertile eggs just at point of hatch - under each girl - so they get a surprise a day or two later. The burning questions are these: will the pullets be good mums to chicks hatched from eggs that are placed under them for only a day or so? To chicks that are not of their breed? And will they quit being broody when live chicks arrive - only one and two weeks into their brooding? One has been on the nest one week, the other, around two. The incubating fertile eggs only have a few days now to hatch. The final questions are these: will the new mums hurt each others' babies? They are cuddled up together brooding and seem to be content keeping each other warm...and wondering will they share custody of the chicks or will the chicks know which hen they hatch out from under?

 

[DobieLover]

It's risky to try to give chicks to both pullets. Especially when one of them has been broody for such a short length of time.
I would break the one that has only been broody for a week. Lock her into an elevated fully wire dog crate with food and water and a piece of wood to perch on and leave her in there for three full days. Release her about an hour prior to roost time after the third day and see if she roosts. If she does not, put her back in the crate for another night and day.
I would give the 2-week broody the eggs now so she can finish them. She won't care if they are her breed or not. I've never had a hen hatch her own eggs here and I've never had one not raise "her" chicks.
The only way to know if a pullet/hen is going to be a good mother is to let her try. Monitor her for the first few days and only intervene if she make big mistakes.

 

[SilverBirds]

How old are the pullets?

I've placed new eggs under broodies many times without issue. You'll have to wait and see how the hens react to the chicks. Most hens have great mothering instincts but some will be aggressive towards the chicks. Monitor mom and babies for the first few days to make sure she's good good with them. Chickens don't care if their babies are of the same or different breed, or if the chicks are even their own.

Most of the time two broodies don't do well together. The mothers can become very protective of their chicks and can try to hurt each other or each others young. I would break the hen that has been sitting the shortest period of time and give the other hen the eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

A very useful article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rst-turkey-strut-to-weaning-the-chicks.76878/