An egg broke under the mama, what should I do?

[clarkestep]

They are due to hatch on 7/23 and one of the eggs broke today with a live chick inside. There is goo on the other eggs. Should I wipe them off or will this introduce more bacteria into the eggs? or should I wipe them down with alcohol and would this make the mama leave the nest? Any suggestions?

And I'm sorry if this has been posted before, I'm in the middle of canning at the moment and can't search. I just found the broken egg while waiting for my water to boil.

Jennifer

 

[dancingbear]

Just scoop out the broken egg, and as much gooey bedding as you can, and replace with clean, dry bedding. The goo on the eggs will rub off over a couple of days, it won't hurt anything. I used to wash them off when that happened, that didn't hurt anything, either, they still hatched. But I found it unnecessary to wash off the egg goo, so I stopped. They still hatch!

If they get pooped on, I wash them off. But just egg, as long as it doesn't smell bad, don't worry. In that case, wash them. Warm water and dish soap is all I use.

I mark my eggs with sharpie, so the marks don't rub off or wash off.

 

[Junkmanme]

I don't suppose that "live chick" survived?

 

[stephys_fluffybutts]

I doupt that it would. they arnt supposed to hatch that early. The yolk has to be absorbed before hatching. If not then there is not much hope. Only because there is a large hole in the belly that can cause infections. They are like premies

If there is egg on the mommas belly then get a damp towel and gently wipe it off. The other eggs should be fine. Its not like it was rotten.
If the eggs are dirty then do the same thing like you did with the hen. Gently wipeing it off. Do not use alcohol. If it seeps in to the pores then it could hurt the growing chick or maybe even kill it.. Just clean out the nest box and put down fresh bedding.

sorry about the chick

 

[clarkestep]

Thank you for the replies. This happened the last time I had 2 broodies and none of the eggs hatched. All were duds but 3 and it looks like they drowned in the shell as they were totally developed.

The little one did not survive the crush. It looked fully formed though with the yolk sack hanging out of it's little body. I'm gross because I finished taking it out of the membrane just so I could see it.

Off to check out mama's belly. Got my canning done! That is lots of work! I'm glad that I don't have to grow and can everything we eat! LOL