Jealous hen?

[AnthonyB]

for the second year in the trot, I’ve had two broody Peking hens sitting in the same row of nesting boxes. I put fertilised eggs under each. In both years when one hen’s chicks start hatching, the other hen deserts he eggs, and joins the other one. The deserted eggs have almost fully formed chicks in. Any ideas? Perhaps I should move the nests apart, or aggregate them? I’ve tended to put a barrier between hens else they steal each other’s eggs.

Similarly, how long after the first chick hatches should I give up with any unhatched eggs?

Also, how many eggs should I put under each hen (esp given that 25% are often infertile)?

Thanks... I’m a novice needing help!

 

[I love my ducks34]

Maybe she thinks it is her eggs hatching? Yeah I would suggest moving them apart.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined.

In some was you are lucky, other ways not so much. Some people have multiple broodies, each with their own nest in the same coop and never have issues. So you are unlucky. But I had your situation once, when one broody heard the chicks after internal pip she abandoned her nest and went to the hatching chicks. The two broodies fought for control and destroyed half the eggs. So you were luckier than I was. Now if I have a second hen go broody after another has eggs I break her from being broody instead of give her eggs. I don't have a good spot to isolate her from the other broody.

I let my broody hens decide when to bring the chicks off the nest. Sometimes that's within 24 hours of the first one hatching, sometimes it is well into the third day. Before they hatch but after internal pip the chicks start talking to Mama. That's what your broody hen heard. That way the hen knows to stay on the nest if one is on the way. Before they hatch the chick absorbs the yolk. It can live off of that yolk for three days or more so Mama can wait on the later chicks.

A hen needs to be able to comfortably cover all the eggs she has. If she cannot cover them all, some get pushed out, cool off, and die. Then that egg gets moved back under her and another gets pushed out to die. You often do not get good hatches if the hen cannot cover all of them.

Eggs come in different sizes and hens come in different sizes and shapes. The configuration of the nest can make a difference too. Some bantams can barely cover 4 full-sized hen eggs. Some full sized hens can cover a lot of bantam eggs. There is no set number that works for all situations. I've had a hen that could only cover 10 eggs of the size she laid. I had a hen hide a nest and come off with 18 chicks. I never found that nest so I don't know how many eggs she started off with. Typically I put 12 eggs the size she lays under a hen but I'm not set on that. If it is too many I take a couple away. A couple of times I've given a hen as may as 15 eggs. I try to stay flexible.

 

[AnthonyB]

Great advice... thank you so much.