Experiement gone awry

A little over a month ago one of my cuckoo maran hens went broody. This means she sat on some eggs in a nest box in the hopes of hatching them out and raising chicks. I've never had a true broody hen in the seven years I've been keeping chickens. She would not budge from that nest (except for the very occasional food and water breaks). I was down to four hens and thought it might be fun to give her some fertile eggs to hatch out. Since we don't own a rooster she was laying on infertile eggs. I got onto one of the farm sale groups on facebook and asked if anyone had any fertile eggs I could buy. Sure enough I nice lady said I could come get eight of her eggs she collected that morning. Six of the eggs were Delaware chickens and the other two a Dorking/Delaware cross.

This was three weeks ago. In the mean time another hen went broody. Apparently (and I didn't know this) when one hen sees another hen sitting on a nest, she will want to do the same. Broody behavior is contagious. So I had two hens sitting when I brought home those fertile eggs. Well, 20 days later I heard peeping when I went into feed that morning. Seven of the eight eggs had hatched, the last egg wasn't fertile.

All was good for the first two days. Momma hen #1 took her chicks and stayed in one corner of the hen house. Momma hen #2 stayed in the other corner. I would come in the give fresh food and water and both hens would fluff up and try their best to protect their chicks. But then other hens would come in to eat and drink and hen #1 would go flippin' nuts. Running around trying to keep chicks velcroed to her side and in the mean time pecking those chicks. I told her if she hurts those chicks they become mine. Sure enough on day 2 one of the chicks had been pecked hard and was bleeding. So I pulled the brooder out and collected all six remaining chicks from both hens and am rearing them in the brooder in my living room. The poor pecked chick died later that day. I think in a perfect world where that hen didn't have any other hens around she would have been fine but I didn't have an isolated area for her (and I should have). Oh well, both hens can have their chicks back in five to six weeks when they leave the brooder. I don't think we'll be trying this experiment again.

In the mean time Winston thinks the little peeping appetizers in the hot box are quite interesting.