A heartbroken chicken Mama

[MemaDeb]

I had previously posted about my eggs that were delayed in unzipping. My first Broody ended up with only one chick and the other eggs never hatched and unfortunately Mama managed to escape with chick into the main pen and the baby got to the waterer and drowned while I was gone . My second Broody had her first start to hatch yesterday but it never made it out of the egg, only an opening a little bigger than a crayon point and a crack down the shell. I checked some of the other eggs from my 1st Broody I could see the chicks inside a couple. They were already 6 days last the hatch time accord the set date, I tapped and n I chirp response. I proceeded to carefully crack the shell and inside was fully developed but dead chicks. I am heartbroken, what if anything could I have done or changed? Suggestions or help greatly appreciated! Sorry so long!

 

[birdsrfun]

Sorry for your losses. Hopefully someone with hatching knowledge can help you.

 

[Tonyroo]

Sometimes it happens, could be chicken not having brooding experience, too many chickens near brooding hen, or disease related.

 

[Scchicks213]

I had previously posted about my eggs that were delayed in unzipping. My first Broody ended up with only one chick and the other eggs never hatched and unfortunately Mama managed to escape with chick into the main pen and the baby got to the waterer and drowned while I was gone . My second Broody had her first start to hatch yesterday but it never made it out of the egg, only an opening a little bigger than a crayon point and a crack down the shell. I checked some of the other eggs from my 1st Broody I could see the chicks inside a couple. They were already 6 days last the hatch time accord the set date, I tapped and n I chirp response. I proceeded to carefully crack the shell and inside was fully developed but dead chicks. I am heartbroken, what if anything could I have done or changed? Suggestions or help greatly appreciated! Sorry so long!

If it was your broody hen hatching the eggs it was nothing you did wrong, you just have to let them do their thing. Also, if this was a new hens first time sitting then that could be what the issue was. Sometimes on their first round it just doesn't go as planned. You just never know sometimes. Sorry to hear about the baby that drowned

 

[333113]

If you were using a baby chicken waterer, you could try using a quail waterer instead for the first few weeks. The water trough is narrower and more difficult to drown in, for a chicken.

Sorry for your loss. Sometimes hens make mistakes, too.

For next time, you can try candling the remaining eggs as soon as possible after she leaves the nest, or pull them out one at a time to candle them when they are due to hatch. Then if any are still going you can put them in the incubator to hatch and sneak them back under her after dark. This works better if you leave at least one unbroken egg in the nest (not a good one).

About two weeks ago I checked a broody's eggs a day before they were due and found that none were going to hatch. So, I took some eggs I was going to put in the incubator and put them under her. She is continuing to set. I candled a couple yesterday and they look like they will hatch.