Broody clutch: One chick, 12 eggs to go on day 25

[JaimeLynnC]

Hi! First time poster. First time broody care. First time broody mama. So we are struggling through this difficult hatch.

On, what I thought was day 23, one chick had hatched. In our excitement we lifted mama to see, and also saw another chick almost out of the egg. By the next morning (day 24?), the live chick was still thriving, jumping around and all over mama. The other was fully out of the egg, fluffed up, but dead. After reading, I think we disturbed the temp/humidity and killed it. *sigh*

Now is 2 full days later and still only one chick, one dead, and 12 eggs still there. Mama is still sitting. Clearly my days were miscalculated, but I don't know if I should mess with her again and check the clutch or leave things be.

Also, when the first chick hatched, we didn't lift her completely off the nest, just pushed her to the side a bit. When she readjusted, she stepped on the hatching egg. So maybe it wasn't a humidity thing, it was a direct injury?

Our shed/coop is about 5°C day Temps.

I'm worried about:
(1) chicks may be stuck (even if I were to try to help, I may not be successful)
(2) eggs may be non-viable and mama won't leave to care for chick

I feel like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't!

 

[50-45-1]

Dont blame yourself, lifting broody to look briefly did not kill your chick .
If your days are right, I think its past time for these to hatch.
I would worry now about the live chick, that mama is not getting off the nest and taking it to water and food.
I also think it would be better to have more than one chick for many reasons.
I would go to the farm store before they close tonight, and purchase 3 or 4 of the newest (youngest) they have. Then after dark tonight I'd remove the remaining eggs and slide the chicks under her.
Tomorrow she should switch gears and move from setting to brooding chicks.
You can test the removed eggs if you want. I always hold the eggs to my ear and tap with my fingernail to see if there is chirping. Aften it's just sloshing fluid inside or no chick. If you have an incubator you could try them a few more days.
Good luck!

 

[wrathsfarm]

You could place a small. (Small!! Like a tea cup saucer?) of feed and and small bowl (filled with pebbles or a rock?) for water near momma to show the little one and not have to get off the nest.
I stressed the small because I made that mistake and came back a few minutes later to find a chick trapped under the bowl.

Hope some more hatch for you...