Godspeedracer
Hatching
- May 6, 2015
- 2
- 0
- 9
Im brand new here to BYC and love the site. I cant say Im really brand new as I've been reading threads since I got my chicks a few months back which are now beautiful laying hens thanks to your guidance here in all the forums. I haven't found the answer though to my "emergency to me" question. My broody hen had 13 eggs under her, all from my flock of 6 girls and one roosters help. I put some eggs under her when I realized she was serious and a day or two after. Next time they will all start on one day! Three days ago they started hatching, first one then 6 the next day, then 3, then I found an egg with a quarter sized hole in it with a dead chick inside, the mom was pecking the hole. I think she got impatient as the other eggs were hatching normally. Then the last egg pipped at wrong end was also in distress as the mom was pecking at it. I took it out, put in a box and watched and WAITED, impatiently I might add but I didn't PECK at it like my broody was doing. She was peeping like crazy for a bit then quiet, off and on for a few hours. Left the house for an hour, came back and she had gotten out of that shell but the yolk had not completely been consumed and the umbilical chord was still attached as she was laying sideways and dragging it all around her tiny little area just room enough for her to move in a tiny circle. The yolk had busted open, the chord was pulling on her insides so I made an executive decision to cut the chord before she pulled her insides out. I watched her a couple more hours, gave her some sugar water then decided to put her under her mom. This morning, her eyes are not open, she is peeping, her butt is larger than the others, and Im worried the other chicks will hurt her as she is not walking but just laying and crawling. She is beautiful and fluffy but Im not sure...............Is my chick recovering from early birth or is she in distress? Should I separate her from the others for a bit and give her crushed chick starter with sugar water? Please help. I looked from one end of this site to the other and there's lots about a chick born in an incubator but not in distress with a broody. Thank you so much in advance for your help in "my emergency".