Our broody hen hatched out her first new family of chicks last weekend; 3 made it. There would have been 4, but one died for some reason while it was hatching...
So after the first chick hatched, 3 more had pipped. 1 was peeping loudly and had pipped a pretty big sized hole. Then it was silent for a while and I thought it may be dead. So I candled and saw that it was still moving. It started peeping again so I gently put it back under the broody hen's wing. But apparently she decided to move it further under her stomach. So, we slid it under with her beak, but as she was doing this, she punctured the pipped hole a little and made it a bit bigger. I wasn't too worried, since the pip had only gotten a bit larger. So I left the egg alone for a few hours.
But when I cam back to check on it, I lifted her up and found the egg had been broken even more. The pip was still there, but the shell around the pip looked like it had been stepped on. I took it out and found that the chick had died a little while ago.
It was perfectly developed and everything. It had absorbed the yolk. It was still warm when I found it.
What had happened? Was the egg cracked too much by the mother and had it killed the chick? Was it just a common thing to happen with a first-timer broody hen?
Thanks!
So after the first chick hatched, 3 more had pipped. 1 was peeping loudly and had pipped a pretty big sized hole. Then it was silent for a while and I thought it may be dead. So I candled and saw that it was still moving. It started peeping again so I gently put it back under the broody hen's wing. But apparently she decided to move it further under her stomach. So, we slid it under with her beak, but as she was doing this, she punctured the pipped hole a little and made it a bit bigger. I wasn't too worried, since the pip had only gotten a bit larger. So I left the egg alone for a few hours.
But when I cam back to check on it, I lifted her up and found the egg had been broken even more. The pip was still there, but the shell around the pip looked like it had been stepped on. I took it out and found that the chick had died a little while ago.
What had happened? Was the egg cracked too much by the mother and had it killed the chick? Was it just a common thing to happen with a first-timer broody hen?
Thanks!
