Broody hen pecked at opening in hatching egg

[berkchicks]

Hey guys!

I need your help STAT!

Long story short we’ve had a very committed jersey giant hand sitting on some eggs for around 21 days now. She’s been very sweet and gentle with us and hasn’t mind did us checking in on her or the eggs at all.

A few days ago we found one completely hatched chick that was completely developed but dead and then the day after that we found a chick that was pretty much completely hatched but still partially in the egg that was dead.

No blood or anything like that so I just assumed that they were not completely healthy checks.

Well today we have another egg that is starting to hatch and we are so excited but when I went to check on the hatching egg, she pecked at the hole that the chick had created. She did this twice.

It’s around 8 PM where I am right now and I’m about to put everyone to bed. I know that if I leave the egg with her tonight it will hatch. What I don’t know is what will happen afterwards.

Were the fatalities that we saw earlier because of her? Should I just take the egg from her right now?

I don’t know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ValerieJ]

If it were me, I'd sit there and watch until the chick gets out of the egg to find out what is happening to the babies. I can't imagine she is intentionally killing her babies, but she may be a little too eager to help them? Is it her first time having chicks?

 

[ValerieJ]

I just read on another thread here that this does happen with first time broodies sometimes. I wonder if you should just rescue the chicks, set up a very warm brooder and let them hatch on their own, but then I think you will have to raise them, not her. I tried to give day old chicks to a very broody hen and it didn't work for me. I know other people for whom it did work. Just like us, each hen is different.

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you so much!
Yes this is her first time hatching eggs.
I’m so torn as to what to do.
Part of me wants to take the egg inside but part of me wants to leave it with her.

 

[ValerieJ]

I wish someone with more experience than me were here to give you some good advice. I think she might be killing the chicks. I have only had one broody actually hatch chicks and she was a good little momma. But, again, if you don't want to raise the chicks yourself, then don't take them away from her because I don't think she'll take them back. I just read that it takes a chick 12 hours to hatch, so my idea of sitting there and watching isn't practical. I think she is trying to help them. I think it would be a bad idea to help the chick out. It might need to go through the process as part of its growth and strength building. I hope you'll post on here tomorrow how it all turned out.

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you again so much.
I decided to leave the egg with her for tonight.
I know I will feel terrible if there is a dead chick there tomorrow morning but I think if I took it inside and it died inside I would feel worse.
If the other babies had had signs that the Momma had hurt them then this would be a lot easier - but they truly just looked like they died very naturally.

I’ll keep you posted. Thanks again.

I wish someone with more experience than me were here to give you some good advice. I think she might be killing the chicks. I have only had one broody actually hatch chicks and she was a good little momma. But, again, if you don't want to raise the chicks yourself, then don't take them away from her because I don't think she'll take them back. I just read that it takes a chick 12 hours to hatch, so my idea of sitting there and watching isn't practical. I think she is trying to help them. I think it would be a bad idea to help the chick out. It might need to go through the process as part of its growth and strength building. I hope you'll post on here tomorrow how it all turned out.

 

[berkchicks]

WE HAVE A BABY!!!!!!
I’m so so so happy I let mama do her thing!!!
Baby is PERFECT!

 

[berkchicks]

So cute!

 

[Katkumo]

For what it's worth, I have learned the hard way to just let the mother hen do her thing. If they're gonna make it, they'll make it. Every time I tried to "help", things went wrong. If you are going to give eggs to a broody hen, let her handle it all the way. When chicks start to hatch, if you have to leave the house, then leave the house. I will never save one again, because when I did, and it lived, I just had to cull later for birth defects. Since then, I trust what the mother hen does. They aren't ALL great moms, I'm not saying that, but once I hand them eggs, it's on them. Just my two cents. Your baby is VERY cute!

 

[berkchicks]

Thank you so much for this! This is EXACTLY what my husband told me last night. That it was up to Whopper (the mama) at that point and that we had to leave it up to her. I’m so glad we did!!!

For what it's worth, I have learned the hard way to just let the mother hen do her thing. If they're gonna make it, they'll make it. Every time I tried to "help", things went wrong. If you are going to give eggs to a broody hen, let her handle it all the way. When chicks start to hatch, if you have to leave the house, then leave the house. I will never save one again, because when I did, and it lived, I just had to cull later for birth defects. Since then, I trust what the mother hen does. They aren't ALL great moms, I'm not saying that, but once I hand them eggs, it's on them. Just my two cents. Your baby is VERY cute!