BigTreeFarm
In the Brooder
- Mar 8, 2023
- 6
- 35
- 34
We had a hen go broody and had 8 eggs under her. 2 were pipping yesterday and this one pipped last night. I woke up to one dead out of its shell and the other one was cracked and crushed. I thought it was dead and so when I went to clean it out, I gave it another tap and it peeped at me. Brought it inside, helped it hatch, but then it died about a half hour later.
So now I've got this one, and it isn't unzipping, but just making a hole. I took all her eggs away from her and made a makeshift brooder in my castiron pot because she's obviously not very good at this whole thing (I was surprised when she went broody as she's on the lower end of the pecking order) and she was very blasé about the whole thing. She'd get off the eggs anytime another chicken came by.
Should I be helping this chick at all, or just let nature take it's course? It's already looking dry-ish and I'm afraid it's going to die. I know it's part of farm life, but this is only my 2nd time with a broody hen, and my 4th time hatching eggs.
I see another starting to pip and when I had candled them all earlier, they all look like there's life in them.
So now I've got this one, and it isn't unzipping, but just making a hole. I took all her eggs away from her and made a makeshift brooder in my castiron pot because she's obviously not very good at this whole thing (I was surprised when she went broody as she's on the lower end of the pecking order) and she was very blasé about the whole thing. She'd get off the eggs anytime another chicken came by.
Should I be helping this chick at all, or just let nature take it's course? It's already looking dry-ish and I'm afraid it's going to die. I know it's part of farm life, but this is only my 2nd time with a broody hen, and my 4th time hatching eggs.
I see another starting to pip and when I had candled them all earlier, they all look like there's life in them.