Two broody hens?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

My experience with broodies has been limited to two different experiences with 1 terrible broody who hatched eggs but wouldn’t raise babies.

Two of my young hens just went broody. The younger hen, Garrison, is daughter of the above terrible broody. I’m a little leery about how good of a broody she’ll be if genetics are involved. She’s 7 months old and a mix of mostly Wyandotte and orpington. She’s been threatening broodiness for a few months now- but only just committed when the other hen went broody.

My other hen, Goose, is a 13 month old Wyandotte. She just up and went broody one day and it immediately stuck. She’s the one I have more faith in to raise chicks.

Initially, it didn’t seem Garrison’s broodiness would stick. So I planned to just give Goose some eggs. I gave her 4 on Monday, which is also the day Garrison decided she was in fact definitely going to be broody. So now I’m trying to make some decisions about how I want to move forward. I’d prefer for the hens to break their broodiness naturally as opposed to using a broody breaker.

So… if I don’t give Garri eggs. will her broodiness break when Goose’s chicks hatch? Which she try to take Goose’s chicks?

Or should I give Garri some eggs of her own? If I give her eggs, then I feel like they should hatch at the same time. This would mean moving Goose’s eggs to the incubator and giving each hen a few new eggs.

I’ve read lots of posts and blogs where people show hens raising chicks together. Is this what usually happens with dual broodies? Or is it more often that they fight over chicks and that just doesn’t get shown on the internet as much?

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

We raise silkies here and always have a couple of broody hens.

These days, I break them of it, but in the past I didn't and let them hatch. Sometimes they'll make their own nest of eggs and I'd mark them so in case another hen would lay any in her nest after she's started to sit on them.

You can give one hen any hens eggs as long as they fit well. Our silkies can sit on 8-10 which most hens can, some even more but I'd start a bit smaller.

Broodiness lasts about 3 weeks whether they are sitting on eggs or sitting on nothing.

I have pulled all the eggs and kept them in the basement where it's cooler, and then take about 10 and sit them one at a time in front of the hen and she'll pull them under her.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Hi,

We raise silkies here and always have a couple of broody hens.

These days, I break them of it, but in the past I didn't and let them hatch. Sometimes they'll make their own nest of eggs and I'd mark them so in case another hen would lay any in her nest after she's started to sit on them.

You can give one hen any hens eggs as long as they fit well. Our silkies can sit on 8-10 which most hens can, some even more but I'd start a bit smaller.

Broodiness lasts about 3 weeks whether they are sitting on eggs or sitting on nothing.

I have pulled all the eggs and kept them in the basement where it's cooler, and then take about 10 and sit them one at a time in front of the hen and she'll pull them under her.

Thanks for your response. Did you ever have multiple broodies at one time? If so, did they raise chicks together or fight over chicks? I’ve heard silkies are usually really good mamas.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

I have a distant memory of a farm my grandma used to own, before she had to move back into town. If I remember correctly, she once had two broody hens, and she put them in a pen together. They kept to themselves, but she had to take out one of the chicks, because it hatched late and was being picked on by its mother.

 

[Melgug]

Any update on your hens? I have 2 broody right now that are currently fighting over one box. Not sure of my next move.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any update on your hens? I have 2 broody right now that are currently fighting over one box. Not sure of my next move.

What do you want to happen? Do you want them to hatch eggs and raise them or do you want to get some chicks to give to them?

Sometimes two broody hens (or more) will work together to hatch eggs and raise chicks. Some people post photos on here showing that. Sometimes one broody kills the chicks under the other. Sometimes they fight over a nest or chicks. I had two broodies fight over a nest as the eggs started pipping and destroyed half the eggs. Both broody hens wanted those chicks. The eggs were destroyed accidentally in the fighting.

Since yours are fighting now I'd either break one (or both) from being broody or put them in separate cages until after one has weaned her chicks. I would not trust them together.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks for your response. Did you ever have multiple broodies at one time? If so, did they raise chicks together or fight over chicks? I’ve heard silkies are usually really good mamas.

Sorry I'm so late. I missed your response.

Yes, I've had two broodies sit on one nest, and they hatched about 8 between the two. The chicks followed them both around. Sometimes all following one, and the other hen behind them, or sometimes a few with each. After a week, I sold 7 of the 8 chicks, then that one had two moms.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Any update on your hens? I have 2 broody right now that are currently fighting over one box. Not sure of my next move.

Not really an update. Haven’t gotten that far, yet. I’ve run into other broody mama drama. I decided not to give eggs to the younger broody. My hope is she’ll break when Goose’s eggs hatch or else I’ll buy her a couple chicks to raise. Anyway, things were going great until Day 13 when broody mama started switching nest boxes and leaving the eggs! The problem seemed to be one of my more dominate hens who was running Goose out of her nestbox. So day 18 (last night) I candled. All eggs had active little babies in them. To help the hen “lockdown” I removed the bully hen for these final few days.

Today, Day 19, I was dismayed when I came home after a few hours and found her in the wrong nest box and her eggs just sitting alone, cool to the touch. I checked my camera and watched as she, entirely of her own accord, left her nest, went out and did the things broodies do, and returned to lay in an empty nest box and just ignore her eggs.

If she’s not going to stay on the nest 100% of the time between now and hatch day, they won’t be protected. I’m sure once they pip and/or hatch if she leaves them the other hens will kill them.

I tried moving her to a dog crate, but she wasn’t interested. I got frustrated and stuck the eggs under the younger broody. I don’t know if this is any better. She has been swapping nestboxes for a while now.

So I’m sort of stumped about how best to proceed. I work on hatch day, so I can’t be around to monitor. I don’t know if I acted rashly and should give the eggs back to Goose, or see how things go with Garrison. Fingers crossed one of these hens figures out how to stay in the same nest box.