Be excited with me?

[MountainWoman73]

So I let my broody have some eggs, and left my husband in charge while I traveled out of town.(eye roll) He did a terrible job at taking fresh eggs out from under her, so I ended up with eggs at all stages of development. I only saw movement in one of the original eggs, so I marked three of them that were developing and let her keep those as well. None of the original eggs hatched, and I threw them out at day 28. I had estimated that the other eggs had a due date around June 2/3, based on what the husband told me (unreliable) and my candling skills (new at this. I don't usually hatch chicks). So today, I go out to candle the three eggs
Two have strong veins and a dark spot that could be a chick, but I can't see them moving. I pick up the third one and... it cheeps! There's a pip! I was off by a week. .

Waiting now, to see how it does at hatching...

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Best of luck with the hatch!

 

[sourland]

Have a 'Plan B' for the two eggs showing veins. The hen will most likely stop setting after the first chick hatches.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Have a 'Plan B' for the two eggs showing veins. The hen will most likely stop setting after the first chick hatches.

Yeah, I know.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Yeah, I know.

While you may know that, others may not. We all learn from these threads

 

[MountainWoman73]

While you may know that, others may not. We all learn from these threads

We do. . I just didn't have time for a longer response.

I have a thermoregulator ready to wire to a lightbulb and a small cooler with a humidity sensor and damp towels if it comes to that. They didn't look like they were moving though, so I'm also planning how to deal with a lonely chick if the broody isn't a good mother to it. If the broody does accept and mother her chick I plan to just let it be a lone chick.

 

[MountainWoman73]

She's still working on it. I went out to check, and the broody (who is admittedly not very good at this) had let another hen take over her nest again. The hatching egg is missing some shell, but the membrane looks intact. I wonder if mom, or the other hen, stepped on it. The missing shell is patchy, not a clean "zip" pattern. Chick is wriggling and peeping. I put a moist paper towel under mom with it and she's sitting calmly now.

 

[MountainWoman73]

What do you guys think? I took the egg out for a minute to check on it and wet down the membrane. (Second photo). It is cracked and missing shell all the way around, but the membrane is intact. The chick is still wriggling and peeping. I know the shell was intact (except for a pip) around 11:30 am, and it's 4:30 now, so the egg has been like this for 3 or 4 hours. When will the chick need a hole in the membrane to breathe? Will this egg necessarily need assistance? At what point would you consider helping and how would you do that?

I have a lot of reading-knowledge but no doing-knowledge of assisting hatches.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Nevermind. I just peeked and saw a nice circular line around the egg and a beak poking out. She's flexing her legs and pushing it open and shut. I think she's going to be just fine.

 

[MountainWoman73]

5:55 pm. We have a live birth.