Ridgerunner
Garden Master
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Journey, I just don't know. I very seldom have two hens broody at the same time, I generally break one if another is already setting eggs. I don't separate mine into broody pens, just leave them in the nest in the coop. On the chicken forum you see photos of multiple broody hens working together to hatch the chicks and to raise them, apparently without a problem. Or different hens in different nests in the coop with different hatch days. But occasionally you read about problems. I do think those problems are pretty rare.
Do you have them setting in the same nest in those pens or does each hen have her own nest? A few years back I had a broody sitting on eggs. Just before she was due to hatch another hen went broody. I was slow throwing her in the broody buster. When those eggs started to internal pip, the chicks inside started chirping before hatch. The two broodies fought over the eggs and broke about half of them. That second broody had only been broody a couple of days.
As a kid I can remember two broodies that hatched a few days apart fighting over the chicks. One wanted to take care of all of them by herself. I can also remember several times when two different broodies just took care of her own chicks and didn't bother the others. I can't remember any ever co-parenting but they didn't get much chances for that. if a second hen went broody in the same nest she would go in the broody buster. Dad would rather have them laying eggs than uselessly broody. With a dozen eggs one broody that size was enough.
Bee obviously has a lot more experience with multiple broodies than I do, I'd go more by what she says than me. When you deal with living animals and their behaviors you just can't tell for sure what will happen. If it were me hatching four broody hens simultaneously, each broody would have her own pen for hatch. After they had all finished I'd probably let them mingle and see what happens. If it comes to it, this time of the year a broody hen can raise a lot of chicks, it's not like the chicks are going to get that cold.
Do you have them setting in the same nest in those pens or does each hen have her own nest? A few years back I had a broody sitting on eggs. Just before she was due to hatch another hen went broody. I was slow throwing her in the broody buster. When those eggs started to internal pip, the chicks inside started chirping before hatch. The two broodies fought over the eggs and broke about half of them. That second broody had only been broody a couple of days.
As a kid I can remember two broodies that hatched a few days apart fighting over the chicks. One wanted to take care of all of them by herself. I can also remember several times when two different broodies just took care of her own chicks and didn't bother the others. I can't remember any ever co-parenting but they didn't get much chances for that. if a second hen went broody in the same nest she would go in the broody buster. Dad would rather have them laying eggs than uselessly broody. With a dozen eggs one broody that size was enough.
Bee obviously has a lot more experience with multiple broodies than I do, I'd go more by what she says than me. When you deal with living animals and their behaviors you just can't tell for sure what will happen. If it were me hatching four broody hens simultaneously, each broody would have her own pen for hatch. After they had all finished I'd probably let them mingle and see what happens. If it comes to it, this time of the year a broody hen can raise a lot of chicks, it's not like the chicks are going to get that cold.
