Boody Hen calls it quits after 3 weeks!

[Big Mama K]

My hen has faithfully been sitting on her eggs for about 3 weeks! We have tomorrow to be day 21, give or take 2-3days but she called it quits last night! So now I have this egg and no momma! I candled it this afternoon to check oh it and saw movement so I have know idea what I need to do! I am new to all of this just got the chicken from a relative about 2 months ago. So this is my first expereince with chickens, eggs and hatching! Please someone other there help me try to help this egg hatch! I have an Hova-Bator Incubator Model # 1602N but I have no idea how to use it and it is missing it instructions and red vent caps! If anyone has any ideas please let me know!!

 

[Big Mama K]

Please someone help me! I don't wanna lose this baby chick being so close to it's due date!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

You've got to give people time to respond.

Do you have a heating pad? Do you have a thermometer? If you do, put the heating pad on the medium/low setting. Place the thermometer on the heating pad to find out the temperature. It should be between 99* and 101*.

This will help until you can get the incubator set up properly. You need to get a thermometer. You can use masking tape or duct tape to cover the vent holes if need be. Again, try and stabilize the temp to around 99* or 101*.

I would wrap the egg in a damp paper towel or washcloth (warm) to help keep some humidity up to help the chick hatch.

 

[Big Mama K]

I got my incubator up to 100, got tape on my vents and put the egg inside! I went to lock up the pen and my momma hen is in her box! Now, I feel awful cause I took her babe! I am thinking that she knew it was hot enough out today that she didn't need to sit on it and now that is night, she does! Now my girls wanna put it back in the nesting box! If it doesn't hatch I am gonna feel like it is my fault!!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

If she's back in the nesting box, I would put it under her for the night and just use the incubator for an emergency. Make sure to check in the morning to see if your hen is still in the nesting box or if her broodiness really is breaking.

 

[Big Mama K]

I thought about doing that. You think it really would be ok going back and forth?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I'm just concerned that your incubator isn't stabilized. I don't like putting eggs into an incubator that I haven't stabilized. If your incubator decides to flux during the night and you're asleep, it could kill the chick. At least under the hen, you know it will be a steady temp, at least until your sure the incubator is stable.

 

[Big Mama K]

Ok, here goes nothing! I am gonna put it back under her for the night and check on her first thing in the morning! Hopefully the incubator stays at the same temp so if I need to put the egg back in there in the morning, the egg will be ok! Thanks!

 

[suebee]

Good morning, is she still on the egg? I would definitely screen her in the nest box until the egg hatches. Did it hatch?

 

[Big Mama K]

No Hannah wasn't sitting on her egg! I picked it up to check it's temp and I could feel the baby move inside the egg! So, I put it to my egg and I could hear a little pecking sound! With the egg being cool and the temp outside only 82 I put the egg back into the incubator! I hope that everything goes ok and that sometime soon we have a baby! I never really thought about screening her in, that's a good idea!