Baby chicks galore - and two mama hens

Much to my surprise, I went out to feed my chickens one day last week and noticed two hens acting rather strange . . . they were lying close together side-by-side with their feathers plumped up. Didn't take much to figure it out once I put my hand out to reach for one of them. She didn't like it - at all. Somehow, I had missed a few days of this shared broodiness.

These two hens have decided "it takes a village", I guess, to raise baby chicks. They seem to be sharing the role of mama hen, and it looks like there are at least 14 eggs between them. Yesterday, I counted 5 that had hatched.

I've fenced off their little shared nest and will keep a close eye on them. This is the first time any of my hens have doubled up like this - interesting.