Dead baby chicken

[mandy g]

Hi am new to this whole letting mum broody and getting chickens. I have been googling heaps about baby chickens. My little black hen went broody before xmas and we let her stay on the four eggs she had under her. Well today was day twenty four and plucked up enough courage to see what was going on. I put eggs in warm water like it said and there was no movement. Three where horrid gas and one had a full developed dead baby chicken in it. There was no piping in any of the shells I feel so bad should I tried to of made help hatch the egg yesterday. She is currently sitting on another batch as new timers we did t know to seperate her and other chickens have been laying under her. With this next lot I really don't know what to do

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under Mandy

Welcome!

As you have already received some great advice I will just wish you luck with the second lot of eggs. I do hope that you are able to work it so that the mumma gets to raise them.

I also hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures that feature our feathered and non feathered friends

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, mandy g, and

! Pleased you joined our community but sorry about the unsuccessful hatch. Were you reasonably certain the eggs were fertile? You might post in the link below for advice on hatching - there are some very knowledgeable folks there:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/5/incubating-hatching-eggs Good luck with your future hating endeavors!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. I'm not sure how many more days your broody has to go with this second lot of eggs, but being broody takes a significant toll on the body (loss of weight and condition). Personally, I would not put a hen through two broods - other people do however.

Hope you get your answers on the forum link given by @redsoxs

Best wishes
CT

 

[NickyKnack]

Hello!

Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to join the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around BYC. Good luck with your endeavors!

 

[mustangrooster]

Hello there and welcome to BYC! Glad you have joined us

Im sorry they didn't hatch, but dont pull yourself down, broody's are known to hatch chicks more often than not, so since they didn't hatch, there could of been something wrong with the chicks....or they could of had infect yolk sacks. You never know.

I agree with @CTKen brooding does take a significant toll on the body, they go without food or water for long periods of time...so when hens hatch chicks, they are usually skinny, but soon 'recover'....shes on her second round, and will loose more weight and such....how far along brooding is she?


Good luck

-Mustang

 

[mandy g]

She is in day twenty four at the moment have now left the other eggs won't touch them candle etc or even lightly tap to heard chripping as think maybe thy what I did wrong reading and doing what I read. This next batch we think where under her about five days after the first four she would hoard everybody's eggs was too scared to move her incase she came off the eggs altogether. Just keep waiting to hear or see baby chicks so can take away straight away in a heat box so the other hens and our rooster doesn't kill them.

 

[N F C]

 

[mustangrooster]

She is in day twenty four at the moment have now left the other eggs won't touch them candle etc or even lightly tap to heard chripping as think maybe thy what I did wrong reading and doing what I read. This next batch we think where under her about five days after the first four she would hoard everybody's eggs was too scared to move her incase she came off the eggs altogether. Just keep waiting to hear or see baby chicks so can take away straight away in a heat box so the other hens and our rooster doesn't kill them.

Sounds good...leaving them is the best option...fingers crossed...

Wait, she has been brooding for all this time and when the babys hatch, your going to take them off her? I wouldn't do that...thats pretty unfair...
Please go and find a dog crate or make a confined area and let the broody raise her chicks...not only is it far easier to let her do the job, that means she gets her reward from all that hard work..

Your right, Non broody hens are pretty nasty to mothers, in fact they can kill chicks. But roosters are another story.....in a flock in the wild they would be the ones protecting the hens and babys from predators. Whilst some can injure chicks, most wont...it all depends on the rooster/cockerel



Here is one of my roosters and Pocket a 3 day old chick...hes a big fella, but he didn't hurt the chick....

You'd be far better of leaving them with momma, in a confined area for the first few weeks of their life while they are fragile...

Best wishes

-Mustang

 

[rebrascora]

Firstly you need to mark the eggs she is on now so that you can remove any others that are laid into her nest or "she collects" for her nest. A thick pencil mark drawn around the circumference enables you to see at a glance if there are new eggs. Then you need to check each day and remove any new eggs. Having too many extra eggs in the nest will jeopardise the ones you want to hatch.
If you do get any chicks hatch, please don't take them away from the broody hen. She has done a lot of hard work incubating these eggs, particularly if she is now on a second clutch, so it's only fair that she should have the reward of raising the chicks and it is one of the great joys of poultry keeping to see a mother hen/duck teaching her youngsters the way of the world. Other hens/rooster will not generally bother a broody hen and her chicks provided you have plenty of space but if you only have a small pen, why not put the broody hen in the brooder box with the chicks and save yourself the electricity needed for a heat lamp or heat pad, as she will keep them warm and show them how to eat and drink etc. Broody reared chicks are usually more robust and have stronger immune systems than brooder reared ones, so there are several advantages to letting the hen keep her chicks. I hope I have put a good enough case for you to reconsider taking them off her and good luck with your hatch.

Regards

Barbara