Identical Twins

[Anonymous]

I guess that identical twins in the Poultry world is impossible. Can a double yoker be fertile?

Last year we hatched an amazing mismatch of Bantams. (Well we didn't, but one hen snuck off for 3 weeks and reappeared with 2 black chicks, one orange and one yellow.)

Two were pure bred black pekins, and they appear to be identical.

It's not just their looks, but they move and react as one. They are rarely more than 12 inches apart, and they just behave like twins.

Now they have gone broody together and are sharing a nest. Sometimes side by side, sometimes one on top of the other.

Is this a recipe for disaster or can chicks have two Mums?

 

[Davidd]

Hello, it's always best to separate the hens- even though they are "good friends" letting them sit together can cause upset- they can fight over eggs and the eggs get broken and worse still once the chicks hatch they do the same and the chicks can be squashed. Can you not keep them separate? even if they end up with a chick each-. You may get away with it but I would never let them sit together.
As regards twins- i have never known a double yolker hatch and would never set one but i have heard of one hatching last year- that's the first i have known- most don't as they either don't develop or don't hatch.
regards, David

 

[Anonymous]

At present i have a silky bantam and a pekin bantam both looking after 1 baby(it belongs to the silky ,the pekin baby was ill and had to be pts) these 2 are not friends normally but the silky is allowing the other mother to help.
I would just leave them together and make sure they both have a couple of eggs each check this as it gets close to hatching so 1 doesnt have them all under her.I often have hens that are friends share the nest ,make sure there is plenty of room so they dont squash the babies,.