two mother hens in a high laybox

Sunny Side

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jan 10, 2013
24
2
22
Perth, Australia
I have two hens (Wyandotte & Australorp) sitting on 6 fertile eggs each. They are due to hatch in approximately 6 days.
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The layboxes they are sitting in are elevated off the ground. The chicks won’t be able to get in and out on their own. I want to move them to a ground hutch (also to protect them from the rest of the flock). I presume I will do this once they have all hatched. However, can I move the two hens into the same hutch together? Or is it better to separate them from each other?
 
here's what I have done is same sitch- I have had 2 hens in a high nest box both trying to hatch out a batch. as the chicks hatched I moved them to a brooder box in the house to let the hens hatch out the rest of the eggs. when all the chicks were hatched I separated the moms to a securely heated pen separate from the other hens. The hens never did fight, and they chicks just thought they had 2 moms.

Now for you brooder box till the moms hatch out all the eggs. separate, and this time of year I would put them in a heated pen.

I hatched a couple of chicks and have a couple more coming- but it is too cold even with a mom for me to put them outside. I have a brooder box outside to put them in after they feather out, but I won't have a mom on them because they don't like to be in brooder boxes and may hop up and down trying to get out stepping on babies.
 
Its hot here at the moment. Its going yo be 36degs today - that's high 90s I believe in F.
I might try moving them to a pen in a raised garden bed that has the last of my broad beans crop. I'll try before they hatch out and see if the girls stay on the eggs or not. If not I'll move them back and wait for them to hatch before I move them. May as well put a divided in there to err on the side of caution.
I'll let you know how it goes
 

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