Will broody hen be affected by other chick sound?

[HardinRanch]

We have a 4’x5’x3’ brooder that currently houses a mama hen plus a dozen 1-2 weeks old chicks. We’re looking to hatch more eggs and looks like we have another hen starting to go broody. I’ve read somewhere that the sound of new born chicks is what “knocks” broody hens out of sitting on eggs phase into mothering phase.

My concern is that if we house the second broody hen in the same brooder (we’d be putting up a divider so the chicks won’t physically bother the second hen), will just having newly born chicks near the second hen disturb her broody hormones and cause her to not sit on the eggs for the full three weeks?

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

Mine went into broody mode from hearing chicks.

 

[Aapomp831]

I am in the exact situation you are.... my broody is currently hatching eggs in a separate dog crate, and had been surrounded by chirping 2 week old chicks the whole time - they would even come in and out of the dog crate to steal her food and water (I left it open during the day so she could go out and do her thing once a day). It didn’t affect her at all.... she’s still sitting and the chicks are hatching right now

 

[HardinRanch]

I am in the exact situation you are.... my broody is currently hatching eggs in a separate dog crate, and had been surrounded by chirping 2 week old chicks the whole time - they would even come in and out of the dog crate to steal her food and water (I left it open during the day so she could go out and do her thing once a day). It didn’t affect her at all.... she’s still sitting and the chicks are hatching right now

Thanks, we’re setting up the divider right now . The second hen is in the nesting box picking pine shavings to put around her hehe.

 

[Aapomp831]

Thanks, we’re setting up the divider right now . The second hen is in the nesting box picking pine shavings to put around her hehe.

View attachment 2704909

I like your setup! I was just watching mine throw pine shavings around - it’s so interesting and entertaining to watch

 

[HardinRanch]

I like your setup! I was just watching mine throw pine shavings around - it’s so interesting and entertaining to watch

Thanks! I’m pretty happy with it. My dad and I built it. Front panel hinges down and top panel hinges up. It sits inside the main coop. We’ve had rat snakes broken into the coop before so we wanted this to be 100% snake proof.

 

[Aapomp831]

Thanks! I’m pretty happy with it. My dad and I built it. Front panel hinges down and top panel hinges up. It sits inside the main coop. We’ve had rat snakes broken into the coop before so we wanted this to be 100% snake proof.

Love it

 

[HenKeepers]

We have "Super Broody" hens that we give up to 30 chicks at a time. Some hens don't like company. Some hens couldn't care less. The hen in the pic has 21 chicks. She once had 65 chicks, her 7 + 58 from Tractor Supply Clearance. She can't have another hen with chicks immediately next to her. She steals chicks if they are the same age. She will harass/peck/reject older chicks that are not hers.

 

[Chicalina]

We have "Super Broody" hens that we give up to 30 chicks at a time. Some hens don't like company. Some hens couldn't care less. The hen in the pic has 21 chicks. She once had 65 chicks, her 7 + 58 from Tractor Supply Clearance. She can't have another hen with chicks immediately next to her. She steals chicks if they are the same age. She will harass/peck/reject older chicks that are not hers.

65?

 

[HardinRanch]

We have "Super Broody" hens that we give up to 30 chicks at a time. Some hens don't like company. Some hens couldn't care less. The hen in the pic has 21 chicks. She once had 65 chicks, her 7 + 58 from Tractor Supply Clearance. She can't have another hen with chicks immediately next to her. She steals chicks if they are the same age. She will harass/peck/reject older chicks that are not hers.

I’m assuming their area is well heated right? We made the mistake of introducing a batch of one week old chicks we incubated to the hen on the day that the eggs she was brooding were hatching. We lost 5/8 of the newly born because the hen was distracted by the one week old. Somehow the newly born chicks got chilled even though we had the heat lamp.