?? Two Hens on One Nest ??

[Martinhouse]

Three days ago, a little Barred Rock hen decided to share the nest which one of my Buffs has been on most of July.

Today, chicks are hatching and both hens are just sitting side by side and neither is pecking babies or each other.

I think I've heard of birds sharing a nest and the whole motherhood thing, but I'm not sure if it was chickens.

Does anyone know how common this might be and if there might be problems later on?

I haven't thought any farther ahead than figuring out how I'm going to get the whole family out of that upper nest box and into a pet carrier.

I just don't want any fights that could injure the chicks.

Carol

[WolkWalksSoftly]

Our hens do this also, they are just wanting to lay an egg under the broody hen..or they think that should be their laying box. Just get rid of the visiting hen and move mom and her babies....or mom might take care of the whole thing her self.

[Martinhouse]

The hens have been laying with the broody hen all along. But why is the hen that's only laying not pecking the new chick?

Carol

[Martinhouse]

Just checked again. The visiting hen is definitely not there to lay an egg. She has her wings out like mama hens do when they are covering their babies.

Too soon to move mama and babies.... still lots of hatching to do. Eggs could get broken in the struggle. I think I will just keep an eye on things and see if they leave the nest when I toss out their food in the morning.

Once it's dark tonight, nothing more will happen except maybe some hatching. And I don't even know if that might stop in the dark. No way I'm sitting in a closed chickenhouse all night to find out, either!

Carol

[joyce1954]

The chicks will be fine. They have the bonus of 2 mamas. Its the other hens you need to watch. They will peck the babies, not the 2 that are sitting together.

[Nicho1]

Please continue to track this "saga" for us. I am preparing to get some chickens and want to know what to do if this happens here.

[nattybumppo]

We have had (((3))) chickens on one clutch of eggs. Same with turkeys. Our chickens hatch out thier own along with turkey and duck eggs.

If you want, you may think about setting some of those eggs that the 2 chickens are sitting on or some other eggs in another nest and simply pick up one of the birds and move it there, it will adapt quickly. We've done this many times and it works well. 1 Chicken can sit on 15 or so eggs.

[Martinhouse]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think it's too late to move a hen and some of the eggs. They are all hatching.

I wish I had a pile of warm eggs to put that second hen on. But I've read that when a hen first goes broody, her temp shoots up a little higher to sort of get the eggs started. That this is needed because some of them have been waiting over two weeks since being laid.

I really think I'll just leave it all to Big Mama, (Mother Nature) until all the chicks are hatched. Then I'll get them into a big enough pet carrier that I can close against possums every night. I trap many, many possums all year round here, and that's why the pet carrier transfer is so important.

The hens seem to really like the carriers once they learn to use them, and will usually use them for all future settings.

Carol

[Deemy]

I have a dumb question: How long does it take to hatch hen eggs?

[Martinhouse]

21 days. Sort of.

Carol

[Little RedRidingHood]

the chicks. Two mommas are better than one. Especially if there are alot of newborn chicks. Spreads out the duties and keeps the babies safer. When mine do that I never have any problems with the broody hens. Just watch the other laying hens ... they will kill those chicks. Another good reason to let this ride out the way Mother Nature set it up this time around ... Two mommies make a great tag team and will really give great protection to all those little ones.
Congrads if they all hatch ... Good moms!

[Martinhouse]

Got both hens, three hatched chicks, and all eggs into one pet carrier.

Only trouble is, another gold hen was mighty upset she couldn't get in that carrier and I wonder if she was the original mama and was reacting to hearing the chicks?

At any rate, I took another batch of eggs that were warm, either hers or the other gold hen's, and she is finally sitting on them in a second carrier.

Phew!

It's fun to watch them scoot eggs underneath themselves with their beaks!

Now I just have to hope they will return to the carriers when I let them out to eat. Wish I had a big pen to put the carriers in, away from the flock.

Gotta look around and find something that won't flood when it rains.

Carol

[Nicho1]

If you have time, please elaborate a bit. At a point in the not too distant future, I hope to have chickens who will be setting. Here's where I need help: once a chicken begins setting, do you move her with the eggs to the pet carrier? Then, when it is time for the chicks to hatch, you close her up at night with the chicks in that carrier? I have possums, too, and as I prepare my hen house, I am taking precautions to keep it predator proof and plan to lock the hens up at night. It would be awful to lose chicks so your plan sounds good. I just want to be sure I understand. Thanks for the help.

[Martinhouse]

I used to move the hens to carriers with their eggs as soon as I knew they were really setting. This time I've been busy and thought I'd just see how it worked out on it's own.

I wasn't expecting the nest "sharing, so I thought I'd make more room for the babies.

My next worry is when I open the carriers, and the hens take off, sometimes they will go back and set in the nest box where their eggs started out.

I suppose the hens with babies will stay now, but the other one could well abandon her eggs when I let her out.

I do have a large pen I'd put both carriers in, but it is already occupied. And I don't have time to built a big cage and make it rainproof. Maybe I'll let the hens loose after the other birds are roosting. If they'll just go for food and water, and then go right back into the house, I won't worry about them.

If the one hen abandons the eggs, oh, well. I don't really need more chickens, I just love the whole hatching process.

I'm no expert, just know from my own experiences, but I'll answer any questions you might send me.

Carol

[Martinhouse]

As of this evening, there are still only three chicks hatched. But now the Barred Rock hen is mothering the chicks and Buff is back to setting the rest of the eggs. I hope they will still both accept all the babies. I think they will if more hatch at night when both hens are crammed together in the pet carrier.

They sure do like being in that cage! I made it 30" x 60" and it's two feet high. Two by two frame covered with chickenwire. Open on the bottom. I have it on a wide place in the side walk right now. Hope it doesn't rain yet!

Carol

[momof23goats]

my hens do this often, this year whenI hatched out chicks, when they were old enough I put them in with the hens. my turkey hen, mothered them.

[Martinhouse]

Mom, you are lucky to have that turkey hen. My chicken hens always peck at babies that aren't their own.

I have the two mamas and their (only) three chicks in the big pen with the crippled rooster and a couple of egg smashers. All are getting along fine and I close their little pet carrier at night until I have time to make this pen more varmint-proof. Can't do that until the mud dries for a couple more days.

Then I'll have time for nothing but canning. I now have nearly a bushel of pears, and that's just what I've picked up off the ground!

Carol