Broody Hatching Disaster! She's trying to kill them!

[Lochloosachicks]

I have a broody that is sitting on way to many eggs...15 they are all at different rates.

Got home today to 3 hatching but they were not under her at all. She had them sitting on front of her, not sure if that is normal.

I walked out of the coop to start getting food and water ready for her isolated coop. I would have put her there already but she has been very unfriendly about the entire process and I have not caught her off of her eggs even once.

When I came back in a half hatch chick was in the middle of the coop. I panicked and assumed another hem had gotten to it so i tried to move it back near her. She immediately started attacking it. I'm not mistaking attacking for helping. She would have killed it if i hadn't moved it. When i came back she was going after the other mostly hatched chick so i moved it too. The one that was pipped had a lot of blood and looks to be shrink wrapped around it's eye. I'm attaching the pics below of her and what I've done with the chicks for now.
Not sure if i should help this shrink wrapped guy or not. Another has a lot of yolk left to absorb and it was leaking on my hand as I moved it.

Any advice would be great.

 

[sourland]

Some hens are just not good mothers. If you have an incubator, I would take the eggs from her and incubate them. If you do not have an incubator, I would darken her nest site and take the chicks away from her as they hatch. I would not allow her to brood again if she was mine. Nor would I use any of her daughters for brooding.

 

[Lochloosachicks]

I do not have an incubator to use...my bulb is out. Do you think this light will keep these guys warm enough and let them finish? I'll try to get mine up and running to that as the others start to hatch I can have it in the incubator. It's currently 77 degrees dropping to 57 for a short period over night.

 

[starri33]

I have a broody that is sitting on way to many eggs...15 they are all at different rates.

Got home today to 3 hatching but they were not under her at all. She had them sitting on front of her, not sure if that is normal.

I walked out of the coop to start getting food and water ready for her isolated coop. I would have put her there already but she has been very unfriendly about the entire process and I have not caught her off of her eggs even once.

When I came back in a half hatch chick was in the middle of the coop. I panicked and assumed another hem had gotten to it so i tried to move it back near her. She immediately started attacking it. I'm not mistaking attacking for helping. She would have killed it if i hadn't moved it. When i came back she was going after the other mostly hatched chick so i moved it too. The one that was pipped had a lot of blood and looks to be shrink wrapped around it's eye. I'm attaching the pics below of her and what I've done with the chicks for now.
Not sure if i should help this shrink wrapped guy or not. Another has a lot of yolk left to absorb and it was leaking on my hand as I moved it.

Any advice would be great.View attachment 1745870

I would get the eggs and the babies away from her, some hens will go crazy and kill their chicks, you can put the newborns into a brooder and create your own incubator if you do not have one, you can find you-tube videos on them and you can probably find a forum here about making them..

 

[Lochloosachicks]

I would get the eggs and the babies away from her, some hens will go crazy and kill their chicks, you can put the newborns into a brooder and create your own incubator if you do not have one, you can find you-tube videos on them and you can probably find a forum here about making them..

I have a "make-shift" incubator, but it doesn't have anything to circulate the air. I'm so worried about taking them and them not surviving because I took them. I want to monitor the temp and humidity for at least 24 hours. Will these 3 be okay in the brooder coop I have set up for baby chicks even though they still have shell on?

 

[Lochloosachicks]

I'm not sure how these two that she beat up are are doing. They are breathing, but not really moving around or chirping much, although that could be normal for a newborn. I haven't seen them walk at all.

 

[Lochloosachicks]

Some hens are just not good mothers. If you have an incubator, I would take the eggs from her and incubate them. If you do not have an incubator, I would darken her nest site and take the chicks away from her as they hatch. I would not allow her to brood again if she was mine. Nor would I use any of her daughters for brooding.

Is there any chance she could have done this because she was disturbed? I agree that she is not looking like a good mother at this point. I have never had this happen before, but I haven't had many broody experiences either. It's not normal for them to put the hatching eggs in front of them is it? They usually hatch underneath still, right?

 

[sourland]

It is possible that another hen may have tried to get into the next box causing eggs to break - they are weakened once the chicks start pipping. Chicks pictured appear to be premature with unabsorbed yolk sacks. Again, I would block off/darken her nest so that she is not disturbed and see how she reacts to any chicks that hatch naturally.

 

[starri33]

I have a "make-shift" incubator, but it doesn't have anything to circulate the air. I'm so worried about taking them and them not surviving because I took them. I want to monitor the temp and humidity for at least 24 hours. Will these 3 be okay in the brooder coop I have set up for baby chicks even though they still have shell on?

While I am not totally familiar with the difference, there are both still air and forced air incubators, maybe someone else that has a still air can tell you, I am afraid that the 3 will be a take your chances, but I believe they stand a better chance away from her, try and get them a tiny bit of water tomorrow..

 

[starri33]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/still-air-v-circulated-air-incubators.34168/