My 1st time broody hen had 12 eggs under her until yesterday (Day 22). I checked on her a couple times during the day yesterday, and she had kicked out/smashed 2 undeveloped eggs, and killed 2 newly hatched chicks. This morning sometime between 6:30 & 10AM she had escaped the brood area (4' high enclosure within coop) and gone to sit in the regular nest boxes. I panicked and grabbed the remaining 8 eggs (lots of peeps coming from them, several have pipped) & brought them into the house. I currently have them under a heating pad, with a damp paper towel between the eggs and the heating pad that I'm moistening every so often with a spray bottle to keep the humidity up. Temperature is ~35C (95F) under the heating pad. Not sure about humidity, but it's probably above optimal.
Anything else I can do, or anything that I should be doing differently, to help these chicks survive? I do have a brooder ready to go (mama hen heating pad method) when they're ready to transfer.
Anything else I can do, or anything that I should be doing differently, to help these chicks survive? I do have a brooder ready to go (mama hen heating pad method) when they're ready to transfer.