Two broody heans on same nest and Danger to hatching chicks. Need advice today

[ChicksbyGrace]

I have a mess on my hands. This is my first broody hens with hatching chicks. My hens are 1 year old and this is their 1st broodyness, for lack of a better term. I say hens because one hen was sitting on everyone's eggs (mixed flock: Jungle Fowl, Brown Leghorn, and the broody mama who is an unidentified breed).
This morning after my chores l found one of the 4 eggs hatched. The chick looked healthy and active.
Later I checked on the hens, the leghorns were running around like crazy. I realized they had killed the chick and were eating it. My husband took the chick away and buried it. I removed the nest, 3 eggs, and both hens. They are now with my Barred Rock flock in a dog crate. The broody hens have settled back on the eggs. Next I'll be setting up a nesting box in the crate for them. I hope the eggs will hatch after all this upheaval and handling.
My question is should I separate the broody hens so only one is on the nest. I never thought 2 hens would set on same nest. The 2nd hen (jungle fowl) started setting about a week ago.
Will they fight over any chicks. I'm not sure about how to set this up now. I don't want these sweet mama's in with the leghorns. Any suggestions are appreciated
Thank you.

 

[NatJ]

My question is should I separate the broody hens so only one is on the nest. I never thought 2 hens would set on same nest. The 2nd hen (jungle fowl) started setting about a week ago.
Will they fight over any chicks. I'm not sure about how to set this up now. I don't want these sweet mama's in with the leghorns. Any suggestions are appreciated

The hens might fight over the chicks, or they might not.

I would probably move the hen who started sitting more recently, and leave the eggs with the one who has been broody the longest. That makes a simpler situation, so hopefully it will work out well.

For the one that started sitting more recently, you could give her a different nest and some eggs (real or fake), or you could try to break her broodiness. Moving her might break her broodiness anyway (it does for some hens, but not for others.)

 

[ChicksbyGrace]

Hi NatJ, thank you for the advice.
Yesterday I moved both hens and the eggs into the kennel and out of the run, and away from the chickens that killed the chick. The hens sat for a bit, then moved the eggs away from the nesting box in the kennel. It is warm here in Florida (upper 80s and humid), I left the birds and eggs alone to see what they would do. About sundown I checked on the birds, The hens were inside the nesting box without the eggs. I placed the 3 eggs under both hens and they settled on them. Well this morning was cool and the hens were off the eggs. (sigh).
The hens seem "happy" in the kennel (It is a large one) and acclimating to my other flock of Barred Rocks.
I have the eggs on a heated rice sock and under a heat lamp and will try to candle them this evening. My calculations make this day 21 from when I placed these eggs under her (She had been sitting on unfertilized eggs before March 24th). I have no expectations but I don't want to throw out a good egg either. I will have to see what happens.
Things are settling down here. Lessons learned for sure. Have a wonderful day.

 

[NatJ]

Hi NatJ, thank you for the advice.
Yesterday I moved both hens and the eggs into the kennel and out of the run, and away from the chickens that killed the chick. The hens sat for a bit, then moved the eggs away from the nesting box in the kennel. It is warm here in Florida (upper 80s and humid), I left the birds and eggs alone to see what they would do. About sundown I checked on the birds, The hens were inside the nesting box without the eggs. I placed the 3 eggs under both hens and they settled on them. Well this morning was cool and the hens were off the eggs. (sigh).
The hens seem "happy" in the kennel (It is a large one) and acclimating to my other flock of Barred Rocks.
I have the eggs on a heated rice sock and under a heat lamp and will try to candle them this evening. My calculations make this day 21 from when I placed these eggs under her (She had been sitting on unfertilized eggs before March 24th). I have no expectations but I don't want to throw out a good egg either. I will have to see what happens.
Things are settling down here. Lessons learned for sure. Have a wonderful day.

Some broody hens are willing to be moved, and some are not. It looks like you've got a difficult situation here.

This is not useful with the current eggs, but maybe for the future: once a hen is broody, you can move her to the place you want her to sit, and give her fake eggs for a few days. If she is content to sit there, you can give her real eggs and she will probably keep sitting. But if she refuses to sit in the new place, you haven't wasted any good eggs to learn that.

After eggs hatch, it is usually possible to move a hen with her chicks. A hen will usually stay with her chicks, wherever they are, instead of going back to the old nest. I suspect the difference is that chicks peep and make a big fuss if she tries to go away, while eggs just sit there quietly, but since I'm not a hen I can't be positive whether that is the real reason or not

 

[ChicksbyGrace]

Hi NatJ
Thank you for the advice. I will do that the next time she gets it in her head to sit. I do have some ceramic eggs. Good way to test if that broodiness will hold. I;ll be better prepared in the future. Have a great day!