I hatched out some eggs a week ago that were under a broody hen, but I ended up finishing them up in my incubator. There had been a few eggs that had been added on after the initial eggs I had set, and I could not tell them apart any more (crushed egg ended up getting them all dirty ...). I gave the eggs until Monday, but had been collecting eggs the past week to start a new hatch. There were 2 eggs remaining and another of my hens went broody, so I gave them a shot under her. One of the eggs hatched some time this morning - I only noticed when I went out to do some coop chores. My broody hen had pushed this baby up onto the metal side rail of the nest box. It was cold and lethargic, so I put it back under her, hoping it would warm up and dry off. Fast forward another 1.5 hrs, broody hen had gotten some food and decided to sit on another nest ... The chick was on its own and very cold to the touch. I brought it in, still wet from hatching, and got it in a box under the brooder (so the older chicks wouldn't bother it). It perked up pretty quickly and started peeping. It is alert and fluffy at this point, but it seems to have a bad scrape on one of its legs, skin seems to have ripped. I am assuming this is from when my hen somehow got this baby up into the top of the nest box.
Any advice on caring for that? (there is some down with blood on it, it is a relatively clean looking cut).
Secondly, it doesn't seem to be able to stand yet - I am hoping this is just due to being weakened from the cold. The chick is surprisingly alert and seems content enough. Anyone have experience with cold chicks and any extra care I should be providing? Thanks for any help!
And here is the chick's cute face, instead of just having to see a wound
Any advice on caring for that? (there is some down with blood on it, it is a relatively clean looking cut).
Secondly, it doesn't seem to be able to stand yet - I am hoping this is just due to being weakened from the cold. The chick is surprisingly alert and seems content enough. Anyone have experience with cold chicks and any extra care I should be providing? Thanks for any help!
And here is the chick's cute face, instead of just having to see a wound