Broody hen crushed chick. Day 21. Baby chirping and trying to hatch

[Rohini0821]

Hi there-

Mama hen crushed the egg (day 21). I only can assume she crushed it because the shell is cracked all over the place. She also was eating a different egg this morning. The baby is chirping away and moving its leg. I cant tell if the membrane is stuck to its skin though and am wondering if there is anything I can/should do to help it.

 

[Rohini0821]

Here are some pics

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

The chick appears to be mostly motionless in hatching position. (Except for its leg.) The chick is therefore likely still absorbing its yolk sac and not quite ready to hatch. Try to make sure the chicks position is not disturbed, so it doesnt accidently break free from the remaining shell with an unabsorbed yolk. The chick's instincts will tell it to kick free when it is ready. Right now i would be more concerned about an unabsorbed yolk than partial shrinkwrapping from a dried membrane.

Normally the best thing to do would to be place the egg/chick back under mom for proper heat and humidity, & allow nature to continue its course. But are you saying the broody ate one of the egg/chicks this morn?!

 

[Rohini0821]

The chick appears to be mostly motionless in hatching position. (Except for its leg.) The chick is therefore likely still absorbing its yolk sac and not quite ready to hatch. Try to make sure the chicks position is not disturbed, so it doesnt accidently break free from the remaining shell with an unabsorbed yolk. The chick's instincts will tell it to kick free when it is ready. Right now i would be more concerned about an unabsorbed yolk than partial shrinkwrapping from a dried membrane.

Normally the best thing to do would to be place the egg/chick back under mom for proper heat and humidity, & allow nature to continue its course. But are you saying the broody ate one of the egg/chicks this morn?!

Thats what I figured, but wanted to check just incase it was in a funky position.

I should have mentioned I have 6 broodies. So the one who went Rouge and started this mahem got it taken away form her this am. I put it under a sweeter hen who had been kind to the wee one all day.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Ok great to know you have back-up broodies! I learned years ago to do exactly the same. I dont own an artificial incubator, but have Lots of broody hens. I make sure to always give eggs to at least 2 broodies at the same time. So if any problems arise on hatching day i always have a backup plan.

 

[Rohini0821]

Ok great to know you have back-up broodies! I learned years ago to do exactly the same. I dont own an artificial incubator, but have Lots of broody hens. I make sure to always give eggs to at least 2 broodies at the same time. So if any problems arise on hatching day i always have a backup plan.

I have played swap the chick too many times before too! I currently have 5 hatched, living with 3 different mamas in large dog crates. My plan is to take the mamas away (as sad as that makes me) and put all the chicks together so they can grow up as a pack in a week or so when they're bigger.

 

[Secondof9]

Ok great to know you have back-up broodies! I learned years ago to do exactly the same. I dont own an artificial incubator, but have Lots of broody hens. I make sure to always give eggs to at least 2 broodies at the same time. So if any problems arise on hatching day i always have a backup plan.

Good plan! I'm learning all the time on here...

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I used to take the chicks away too, because i thought they would be safer inside than outside. But then i saw how sad the mama hens were to lose their chicks. After considering how much of their normal busy chicken lives they had sacrificed to set on and hatch their eggs, i took pity and built many chick-safe pens covered in 1/2 hardware cloth. That allowed the mamas to contently & safely raise their babies. It creates a lot of extra work though, & now i break many more broodies each year than i allow to hatch. I used to let all hens that went broody hatch chicks. I loved watching the mamas with their babies. But the year i had 40 hens hatch and raise 400 chicks was the year i said no more. All those mamas completely wore me out!

 

[Peas4Ducks]

I used to take the chicks away too, because i thought they would be safer inside than outside. But then i saw how sad the mama hens were to lose their chicks. After considering how much of their normal busy chicken lives they had sacrificed to set on and hatch their eggs, i took pity and built many chick-safe pens covered in 1/2 hardware cloth. That allowed the mamas to contently & safely raise their babies. It creates a lot of extra work though, & now i break many more broodies each year than i allow to hatch. I used to let all hens that went broody hatch chicks. I loved watching the mamas with their babies. But the year i had 40 hens hatch and raise 400 chicks was the year i said no more. All those mamas completely wore me out!

400 chicks! I assume you sold most of them?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Well approx. half of those were male, and so i had to send most all of the boys to baby rooster heaven. When i let all those hens hatch chicks, it had yes been my plan to sell the pullets as they neared point of lay. I sold about 30 of the 200. But then started hearing how the buyers had lost the pullets to predators. And one was eaten by the humans who bought her! A pol pullet that would have produced many eggs for that person!! So umm, i kept all the rest.

Since then ive had around 300 layer hens. I sell eggs at a farmers market, so they do pay their way. I have very safe coops and runs, they free-range through pasture and woods which cuts down the feed bill, & lgdogs which patrol and protect during the day. Meaning i dont have many deaths other than from reproductive issues. But yeah, im tired. As the hens age and die natural deaths, i have no intention of replacing them. Seven broodys are currently in jail as i type. And how many are setting on eggs? Zero!