What do you do when you have two hens go broody at the same time?

[azygous]

You can try putting them in the same broody-breaking cage, but what if they are both pugnacious little scrappers and they immediately get into a snarling fight as soon as you put them together, then what is a chicken keeper to do?

Here's what I did. I got a scrap of old tarp and cut it to fit the cage. I poked wire through the four corners and wired it to the middle of the cage inside, creating a partition so the two contenders can't see each other. Each has food and water, and once settled down, adequate space to cool her hormones. There's a fan going that blows air under both. Now I just have to hope I don't have a third hen go broody before one of these gals gets broken. Yes, I have had three broody all at once, but they all got along okay stuffed into the broody cage together. While Linda, on the left, is a nine-day-to-break-broody, Su-Su, on the right, is a three-day-max-to-break-broody. So I could get lucky.

 

[Mrs. K]

Dip their bellies in some cool water, then apply the fan. Hurries up the process.

 

[tcstoehr]

Good idea. When I stuck two broodies into the same cage they thought it was Thunderdome and proceeded to have a smack-down. Two chickens enter... one chicken leaves... alive. So I ended up with just one at a time in the cage.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I only put hens that were raised in the same batch together in the broody box, hen from different batches will fight, sometimes someone has to wait the 3-5 days it takes to break the one in the box.

 

[azygous]

What a concept - have broodies lined up for the broody cage treatment like planes on a runway! I'm a congenitally impatient sort, but I will remember that I have that option.

And, yes, I've resorted to dunking a hard case in cold water then putting the fan under her. It doesn't seem to work on my hard cases, though, until they've already spent a week in the cage.

Almost all my broodies take only three days in the cage, sometimes as little as overnight.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It was a rough summer this year for broodyness, they were lined up, I told them to take a number, I tried dunking, didn't work, the chicken just stared at me, I put her in with a young randy rooster, he changed her mind pretty quick, now I put all them with him, he don't hurt them, just loves them, and for some reason makes me laugh, oh yeah I hate dealing with broody chickens.

 

[azygous]

Okay. Now that's funny!

I wish I had a rooster that I could put my broodies with, but all I have at the moment are two three-month old cockerels, and they're scared of all of the big girls, let alone two ferocious broodies.

 

[AnnJoyce]

I have two coops and have separated one in half and I have a broody hen in each half. They should hatch a week apart. I'm wondering if I can take out the divider once they hatch or will the two hens get protective and fight the other hen.