Ok New Q: Egg pipped problem!

[SonnyGirl]

My hen hatched four poults I had to take away and put in a brooder because of the height of her nest and the cold weather too! I Not much has been going on in the last 32 hours since the first hatch.. my hen seems to be pretty much done setting. She hasn't been on the nest all day today and she had pooped up there, right next to her nest She hasn't done that since she built it in Jan!! I'm pretty sure she'll go back on tonight, but I have an egg pipped this morning!! I've been keeping it warm with a heating lamp and it's little eyeball is looking at me, but I'm concerned. Will the light hurt his little eye or dehydrate him? It's about 85 up there, but that's only because I have the lamp pointed down towards the eggs. He's responded to me all day by looking, moving or chirping when I act like a crazy woman and make mama hen noises. How long will a poult take to hatch after it's pipped? I know better than to touch it and I'm hoping she'll just go back on tonight and do it herself... since she got off the nest, I was finally able to secure it better so poults don't climb on top of her and tumble over the wall anymore. But I'm worried about him for now. If he pipped this morning (about 10 or 11 am), would he be in there too long if Mama's not back on him till 7pm? Thanks if anyone can tell me what to do!

 

[SonnyGirl]

Update: Mama finally hopped back on an hour after I finally posted!! With her off the nest, I was finally able to secure the area a little better so poults (hopefully) won't fall off the nest area anymore. At least not for the first day or two! However, my problem with doing that in the first place is that the roof slopes low in that corner, so if I build the wall too high, she won't be able to get up there very well. So... sure enough, she tries to go up through her normal entry point and knocks over the thick cardboard I'd taped there. I was getting there food when this happened so saw the cardboard laying on the nest when I came back. She had already started transfering some eggs, a little further down the shelf but the cardboard was laying on the egg that was pipped! So I risked my hand being lopped off to put the cardboard back in place and I was so touched when I saw her immediately check the pipped egg. I wasn't even sure if she knew it was there! It had turned the tiniest bit and she gently tapped it so the hole was back in the SAME exact position as it was before. Anyhow, I have higher hopes now - at least for this egg. It should be hatched by tomorrow right??? I just hope there aren't more viable eggs if she's not going to be setting during the day anymore.

 

[tinzman8]

Hey sonny, Im glad she decided to get back to setting on her nest! I had 3 more hatch out yesterday (so im at 5 total poults) and i grabbed them and put them in the brooder, so now she is sitting on 4 now. How are your poults doing so far in the brooder?