Broody Crushed Chicks

[SourRoses]

I just wanted to vent, more than anything. Yesterday we discovered 5 newly hatched chicks crushed by the broody hen. I can't understand why she did this
She had experience, not necessarily our best broody but a decent one. We found one alive who is doing well under a plate heater now. We had an issue with the incubator (solved) so I left her sitting on the remaining eggs for the night. This morning we took a chick that hatched right away, and kept checking on her while I was getting the bator going. What do I see on the last check but an egg kicked out from under her that was pipped! So I popped her off the nest for good and brought the eggs to the bator, and while I was transferring the pipped egg it felt cold! But I hear a little cheep and feel some tapping so I put the egg in as quick as I could. Now it's been all day and the chick has only made a little bit of progress. I wanted to give it time to recover from the low temp but now I'm considering helping it.
I'm so cranky with this broody! I told her she's never getting the chance to be a mom ever again.

Boxing up 5 perfect little chicks was so hard! 2 chocolate mottled, 1 chocolate, 1 Lavender, and 1 Black mottled
Thanks for listening...

 

[cavemanrich]

Not that this will solve anything, but just maybe,,, reason for your hens' actions, may be health related. Not able to feel the chicks underneath.?
I certainly would not have her sitting on eggs anymore. But do accept that hen did not do this out of malice.


WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Debbie292d]

I too have experienced a hen that crushed an egg due to hatch. She left it and brought the babies down the ramp meaning she'd never be going back to that egg. It was crushed on all sides, cold as ice, but I could hear it faintly peeping. I whipped the incubator on and put the egg in there while it was warming. It took three days for that poor thing to hatch, but it did! I had helped a little to make sure its beak was out so I knew it was breathing, but let it do the rest.

This experience and a few others is why I don't let hens hatch eggs anymore. I do it, and sometimes give them the chicks, like I recently just did.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry!
I've had this happen once, with a first time broody hen, and agree, never again will she brood eggs here!
One survivor, who I found still alive, that she'd buried in the shavings! We were able to buy a few chicks to meld with this one lone chick, first under a heat lamp, and then the brooder plate.
Why? No idea, but awful to find dead chicks who should have been fine. "So much nicer when they are quiet and still"?!? This hen then wanted to get into the chicks in their separate space in the coop! No way!
I'm not sure what to think about our one survivor, will he(she?) be a good parent? We will both find out sometime, maybe.
Mary

 

[SourRoses]

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Good news! The egg hatched this afternoon!
It was zipping so slowly all morning, seemed tired. I finally decided to help, so picked off some eggshell in the line. *Crack* there's a chick kicked out into my hands. It seemed really large for its egg. I don't know if that's actually a thing, but I remember people talking about it. Anyway, she's perky now and a mottled chocolate. This will make 3 live chicks so at least that's a good number to raise together.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Good news! The egg hatched this afternoon!
It was zipping so slowly all morning, seemed tired. I finally decided to help, so picked off some eggshell in the line. *Crack* there's a chick kicked out into my hands. It seemed really large for its egg. I don't know if that's actually a thing, but I remember people talking about it. Anyway, she's perky now and a mottled chocolate. This will make 3 live chicks so at least that's a good number to raise together.

Awe, that's such great news! Thanks for letting us know!

Could we see? Hint-hint.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Aw, Roses, I'm so sorry for the lossesof your 5 little chicks! But glad for your 3 survivors! I'm with Debbie, let's have some pics! It'll cheer us all up!