Two clutches about to hatch and I need some help!

[Beamerz]

I'd tried to orchestrate my first hatching attempt in April, but we had a very long cold spring ( MA) and I was so busy with my garden and plants, I decided I'd give up on it for this year. They just were not broody. But then one nite about 19 nites ago I was counting chickens and came up one short. My only bantam, little black and brown Polish little girl. I hunted and called to no avail and then at last discovered her behind a "tote" - ( plastic box flipped over) on which I'd earlier "orchestrated"my" nesting box with eggs to be ignored". She was on a huge clutch of eggs and I didn't know what to do so I thought I'll follow her lead, and I just let them be. Within a few days she organized the eggs into two piles.. first one "neat" - for her and the the "other " pile.. I just let her be, so happy she was broody. About a week later she'd reorganized the second pile to be neater and a second hen decided to join in. I do not know what I'm doing but I have prepared a way to enclose the area both of these hens are sitting on eggs in ( behind "totes") and under my huge poop shelf ( 4'x8') 4' off of the ground ..over which my other 11 hens and crazy rooster "rooste" on their bars. I am trusting nature to help the 1st hen hatch eggs but not sure if I need to just leave them all there or move the first group into a different segment of the area? Any and all help would be so appreciated. Also our days are in the low 70's but nights are getting down to low to mid 60's. I don't know if I need to ad a lamp ? I feel stupid but when I started to get this project rolling I had more time, but when they ignored my efforts ,( it was pretty cold)I just decided to let it be and got maxed out in my huge garden which I'm probably way to old to be doing but I just don't know how to quit. I am pretty happy about the chicks I hope to be coming and we did over our run today prepping. I've even figured out how the mamma's can have a separate area outside as I have two chicken doors.. THANKS in advance! All help is very appreciated.

 

[K0k0shka]

You don't need to separate them from each other if they get along (aren't currently fighting over eggs or stealing eggs from each other). Chickens are communal breeders - they have an instinct to want to lay together, brood together and raise chicks together as a flock. That's why they tend to all want to lay in the same nest, and ignore all the extra nests you give them, and also why once you have one broody, chances go up others will go broody as well. They are still individuals, of course, so it's possible that some won't get along, but for the most part, broodies aren't a danger to each other or each other's chicks, especially if the chicks hatch around the same time and are the same age.

You also don't need to separate the broodies from the flock. Lots of people prefer to let their broodies raise the chicks with the flock. It's a lot easier that way, because you don't need to house them separately, or do introductions later. The hens integrate the chicks into the flock from the start.

What I like to do is put a chicken wire divider across part of the coop, to separate out the broody in her nest, from the start of lockdown until all the chicks have hatched, just so the other hens don't keep trying to lay in her nest and squish the hatchlings. But that's because my flock is very peaceful and the broodies don't defend their nest - they'll let the other hens sit with them and lay in their nest while they are brooding. Some broodies get very mean and won't let anybody near the nest - if yours are like that, then you don't need a divider. As soon as all the chicks have hatched, I remove the divider, and let the broody handle it from there. Even though mine don't defend the nest, they do defend the chicks after they hatch, so separation isn't necessary after that point.

Right now I have 2 broodies raising chicks together. It started out with 1 broody and a clutch of eggs, but she wasn't doing a very good job, so when a second hen went broody (which is a proven good mother), I kept her on fakes as a backup. Eventually I decided to give her part of the chicks right after they hatched, hoping the not-so-good broody could learn from her. The two hens have teamed up and are raising the chicks together now. For the first few days, the chicks still remembered which mom they were originally under, and kept going back under her, but at this point (2 weeks in), they'll go under whichever, and they all hang out and sleep together as one big happy family. The flock doesn't bother them at all because the moms kick butt if anybody comes near.

I'm in MA, too, and haven't added anything for heat. If the moms are taking good care of the chicks and sleep on the floor with them where the chicks can snuggle under them for warmth, you don't need anything else. I've had chicks hatch in a snowstorm in April (last year) and they were totally fine, out and about exploring with their mom in just a couple of days with daytime temps in the 40s and 50s, nights even lower.

One thing to keep an eye on at night is where the moms decide to put the chicks to bed. When my good broody is on her own, she sleeps on the floor with the chicks when they are young, until they start really feathering out and don't need to be under her as much (they can't all be under her and covered well if they are on a roost, for example, especially if you have more than 2-3 chicks per hen). However, now that she has a "parenting partner", her flocking instinct is overriding her better judgement. She really wants to be with the other broody and chicks as one unit, and the other broody has no good judgement, so good broody will follow her and sleep wherever she settles, even if it's not good for the chicks. For example, bad broody went up on the top roost and left her chicks on the floor (ignoring the very low roost I made for them all where the chicks could reach!) Good broody started out on the floor, but kept looking up, and eventually joined the other one up on the top roost. Somehow she got her two chicks up as well, but the rest of them remained huddled on the floor. Or, bad broody would decide to sleep in a nesting box, good broody would follow, but there isn't enough room in there for 2 hens and 6 growing chicks, so some chicks spill out and curl up on the floor under the nesting box, with nights dipping down to the 50s. So now I have to go out there every night, and pull the broodies down from the top roost or out of the nesting boxes, collect all the fallen chicks from various corners of the coop, and put them with the hens (the chicks go right under, so they still need the warmth). Not saying that this is how it always goes - everything is so very individual - just that two moms complicate things, and the interaction between them can introduce some wrinkles that need human help being smoothed out.

 

[Beamerz]

Thank you so much for your lengthy reply.. I was really helpful and has removed a lot of stress for me. I will likely be back with more questions and hopefully good news.. I am ever so grateful.
This site is amazing..

 

[Beamerz]

Thank you so much for your lengthy reply.. I was really helpful and has removed a lot of stress for me. I will likely be back with more questions and hopefully good news.. I am ever so grateful.
This site is amazing..

 

[Beamerz]

Just when I thought I was "safe" and had it figured out ( thanks to you K0k0shka , I had a curved ball pitched at me. I was fussing around the coop cleaning up etc.. when one of my Buff Orp hens ( the one I would have chosen to be the broody when I was into my "set up"...) shows up and goes back into the "nesting area " where the two broodies are hard at work and started wanting to get into the nest. They seemed to be protesting so I excluded her by pulling my "fence" closed and putting some wire on top of it. She was still trying to get in and seemed very frustrated. I trust nature so I though.. I'm missing something here.. What say y'all? Is this part of the show? Do they switch off and take turns? I'm trying so hard to learn.. Let me have your thoughts please! I counted and the hatching should begin in two days. I read somewhere about sounds before that happens.. is this what the Buff may have been attracted by?

Thanks if you can help me!

 

[K0k0shka]

Just when I thought I was "safe" and had it figured out ( thanks to you K0k0shka , I had a curved ball pitched at me. I was fussing around the coop cleaning up etc.. when one of my Buff Orp hens ( the one I would have chosen to be the broody when I was into my "set up"...) shows up and goes back into the "nesting area " where the two broodies are hard at work and started wanting to get into the nest. They seemed to be protesting so I excluded her by pulling my "fence" closed and putting some wire on top of it. She was still trying to get in and seemed very frustrated. I trust nature so I though.. I'm missing something here.. What say y'all? Is this part of the show? Do they switch off and take turns? I'm trying so hard to learn.. Let me have your thoughts please! I counted and the hatching should begin in two days. I read somewhere about sounds before that happens.. is this what the Buff may have been attracted by?

Thanks if you can help me!

They want to lay where somebody else is laying, and some are definitely pushier than others. Do not let that buff near the broodies, reinforce your fencing if you need to but keep her away. I had this happen to me and it almost cost me all the babies. I have this one hen, a Barnevelder (sister to one of the moms), who is bottom of the pecking order in all contexts BUT laying. When she lays, she insists on being in the same nest where another hen is already sitting, and she'll shove herself in there even if they barely fit. Well she kept trying to do this with the broodies as well, and even broke through my fencing twice! The first time, the hen pile-up resulted in one broken egg, and the second time, she kicked the broody off her nest, broody went and sat in some other nest (because the fencing was broken and she could now leave her area), pushy hen laid and left but broody did not return to her own nest. It was in the middle of lockdown (day 19!!) and the eggs sat uncovered for a whole day, possibly even overnight as well. It was my kids' birthday party and I was away and busy with that all day, didn't check on the chickens until the following morning, and found all the eggs uncovered and cold 6 out of the 8 still hatched, which is a pure miracle given what they'd been through! But it was very stressful.

So, in conclusion, my recommendation would be to absolutely not allow any other hens to sit on the eggs or even get close to them during lockdown, because it's such a critical time. A non-broody hen will sit and then leave, and as I have seen, there's no guarantee that the broody who was previously on the nest, will come back to it, so you can lose the babies. In my case, it was a very hot day (mid-90s, hotter in the coop) so most of mine still hatched, but if it's cooler where you are, and they are left uncovered, they can easily all die.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Here's a couple of pictures of my co-parenting mamas for inspiration They hang out together during the day, sleep next to each other at night, and both hens mother all of the babies.

 

[Beamerz]

I had re read what you had written to me originally K0k0shka and did put up my fence with a plastic mesh roof on it in place right after.. Tomorrow is day 21 and I'm so anxious to see how many may hatch from the first clutch which my black and brown Polish Banty girl has been a trooper with. The other hen sitting is a silver legged Easter Egger but she only began to sit a week after the Banty Poli girl.
My Roo is the white crested Poli in my Icon.. I'm wondering what kind of chicks I'm going to see.. as my fertile eggs are silver legged Easter Eggers, Buff Orps and Australourps, and a Speckled Sussex. I haven't had this much fun in TOO LONG... ! I'm studying how to ( feather sex) - wings - looking for primary and secondary feather comparisons.. on the chicks as this is my first time out. I'd read it works on day 3 in one article and on day 1 in another..

Three years ago, our flock had been "ordered" by my daughter and we got 5-6 roos out of 20 birds. I don't want to go through what I went through with raising all those Roos and then having to work down to two. ( which ended up being a Black white crested Poli and the White poli roo. The Black one got eaten by a hawk and he was the best Roo.. amazing. ( Napoleon) The White one had nothing but trauma ( had all his siblings eaten by hawks in front of him )and had been doing great since he inherited the job of King, but became pretty aggressive as of late to a point where I was considering reducing any liability potential as I do free range in a moderately populated small neighborhood on the edge of a forest. He'd begun attacking me, my husband, just about anyone. I'm wondering if he has just been being hormonal and overly protective as the birds were becoming broody this Spring. I'll see if he changes his attitude by Fall. but I am planning to keep at least one roo in case I need a back up Roo!
This sure has taken my mind off worrying about how I'm going to put up all I'm growing in my GARDEN! Thanks for your input , it is, was priceless!

 

[Beamerz]

Your girls are gorgeous.. and your stories are informative which is priceless but also feathers for the ears and hearts... Chicken mamas rejoice!
Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Tomorrow's the Day... I think , I think... I hope I hope..

 

[K0k0shka]

I'm very happy to help! Fingers crossed for the big day!

 

[Beamerz]

KoKoshka the big day came and went.. no peeping.. plus I had company show up on the big day that distracted me and somehow ( I have no idea how) one of the broody hens got outside of the broody area and I missed it .. so she was off her eggs for long enough for them to get cold. I was sooo upset.. She wanted to go back in an as I am trying to let them lead the way as Im not doing so well.. I figured I'd give them a few days.. In my ignorance a family member was trying to tell me my White Roo could be sterile.. I began to think about this and the only way to prove if that was tru was to open and egg. I tried candling with a bright flash light but could not see anything ( this was on my first set up attempt.) Desperate to find the way I decided I'd sacrafice and egg and stole one and opened it from the non stop broodies nest. It was definitely fertile and had lots of blood and a blackish sack... The debate of sterility was canceled. Now the first hen has been on the nest since May 26th and the second one since about June 3rd... I have no idea what I'm doing , what do do and I'd sure appreciate any kind of imput from anyone . I'm thinking I need to get back to go with choosing eggs setting up a nest and I think that one of my Buffs would oblige if I closed her in for a day... she had great interest before and these birds seem to have put in a lot of time already.. especially my darling little banty Brown and Black Poli girl.. she's been so dedicated. Thanks if you can educate me or point me in a direction where I can better educated myself. I'd bought a cd on how to set up a nest but my experience with that like I'd said due to the cold weather .. was a wash.. It's still pretty cool here... and then it will likely start to get hot fast as July is approaching. How long will chicks go broody in heat? Thanks for any help.. I just was dying to hear some peeping.. I'm lost.