We just hatched some chicks under a broody hen, we have previously used an incubator. Postman was very rough with the box and hatch rate was terrible.
We have two healthy chicks with mum and a third hatched this morning, found it in the laying box abandoned I think, it was half covered and had dried membrane stuck to it and it's legs. Mum tried to peck at it when she saw it.
I moved it to an incubator to see how it would go, it just laid there for 9 or 10 hours. We decided to use warm water to remove the stuck on membrane and free it's legs. Now it is still laying about and it appears too be unable to bend it's right leg, it drank some water when offered. It's now drying in an incubator.
Is there anything else we should do or is it unlikely to survive/how long do we give it before it is kinder to let it go.
We are lucky to have two healthy chicks as at day 16 another hen went broody (only have 3 and they had left her alone to that point) and tried to squeeze in cracking one of the eggs with a little crater and it was pushed out and went cold. Put it in an incubator alone and it hatched! Put it under mum last night and it's been looked after.
Thanks
We have two healthy chicks with mum and a third hatched this morning, found it in the laying box abandoned I think, it was half covered and had dried membrane stuck to it and it's legs. Mum tried to peck at it when she saw it.
I moved it to an incubator to see how it would go, it just laid there for 9 or 10 hours. We decided to use warm water to remove the stuck on membrane and free it's legs. Now it is still laying about and it appears too be unable to bend it's right leg, it drank some water when offered. It's now drying in an incubator.
Is there anything else we should do or is it unlikely to survive/how long do we give it before it is kinder to let it go.
We are lucky to have two healthy chicks as at day 16 another hen went broody (only have 3 and they had left her alone to that point) and tried to squeeze in cracking one of the eggs with a little crater and it was pushed out and went cold. Put it in an incubator alone and it hatched! Put it under mum last night and it's been looked after.
Thanks