Broody kills the first baby? - please help quickly!!!

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

I don’t know what happened but baby was thrown out of nest with blood and yolk on it and hubby put the baby back under her. She began eating the yolk off the baby and out of the shell. She was also eating the shell. Baby’s head has an injury approx half a dime size and bare flesh was showing on its back. Shell looks to have blood in it. Will she eat the rest of the babies?

 

[50-45-1]

I wonder if you can darken her nest so she will have a harder time seeing chicks and egg shell and blood.
I'm not sure of your particular situation for your broody, but mine all have a darkened broody hutch where the hatching happens.
Maybe be prepared to put chicks in a brooder box if necessary.
She maybe is a first time mom and not quite with the program yet.
She needs quiet, darkness and less interruptions and time to adjust.

 

[Banana01]

I have noticed this, but I always assumed the mother knew best, and maybe the baby died which she could sense. I also assumed that the mother ate the egg for the nutrients knowing it was a dead egg. No my hens never eat eggs, except in the broody instances where I think she knew what she was doing. But that is speculation of what I observed and I never worry when I see one egg.

I remove the egg and observe. Most times I have seen this, it was only one egg. One time a mother ate two but there was a long time in between instances. I think if she eats another one you may have something else going on.

She maybe did kill a good egg, but it would be for the nutrients. How many eggs do you have left?

 

[roosterhavoc]

I don’t know what happened but baby was thrown out of nest with blood and yolk on it and hubby put the baby back under her. She began eating the yolk off the baby and out of the shell. She was also eating the shell. Baby’s head has an injury approx half a dime size and bare flesh was showing on its back. Shell looks to have blood in it. Will she eat the rest of the babies?

Most likely. Take the eggs and wrap them in a heating pad or anyway you can keep them warm or she might kill them all as they hatch.

 

[lobbstertael]

I don’t know what happened but baby was thrown out of nest with blood and yolk on it and hubby put the baby back under her. She began eating the yolk off the baby and out of the shell. She was also eating the shell. Baby’s head has an injury approx half a dime size and bare flesh was showing on its back. Shell looks to have blood in it. Will she eat the rest of the babies?

 

[lobbstertael]

I think maybe the mom knew it was dead or dying- there shouldn't be any yolk or blood in the egg when it hatches. Maybe it was early. Most of my hens go off elsewhere to hatch their chicks, so I only see the healthy ones.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

I have noticed this, but I always assumed the mother knew best, and maybe the baby died which she could sense. I also assumed that the mother ate the egg for the nutrients knowing it was a dead egg. No my hens never eat eggs, except in the broody instances where I think she knew what she was doing. But that is speculation of what I observed and I never worry when I see one egg.

I remove the egg and observe. Most times I have seen this, it was only one egg. One time a mother ate two but there was a long time in between instances. I think if she eats another one you may have something else going on.

She maybe did kill a good egg, but it would be for the nutrients. How many eggs do you have left?

I wonder if you can darken her nest so she will have a harder time seeing chicks and egg shell and blood.
I'm not sure of your particular situation for your broody, but mine all have a darkened broody hutch where the hatching happens.
Maybe be prepared to put chicks in a brooder box if necessary.
She maybe is a first time mom and not quite with the program yet.
She needs quiet, darkness and less interruptions and time to adjus

I think maybe the mom knew it was dead or dying- there shouldn't be any yolk or blood in the egg when it hatches. Maybe it was early. Most of my hens go off elsewhere to hatch their chicks, so I only see the healthy one

There was a wound on the babies head/eye. I think she stabbed it as it was emerging. It did hatch all of the way and then she tossed it out of the nest. She only started eating the yolk after my husband gave her back the chick. Every time she hears a peep she goes insane. She reaches under and around her stabbing furiously. She stands part way up and is panting like she does in extreme heat. Thank you so much for everyone’s response.

 

[roosterhavoc]

There was a wound on the babies head/eye. I think she stabbed it as it was emerging. It did hatch all of the way and then she tossed it out of the nest. She only started eating the yolk after my husband gave her back the chick. Every time she hears a peep she goes insane. She reaches under and around her stabbing furiously. She stands part way up and is panting like she does in extreme heat. Thank you so much for everyone’s response.

Take her away or she’ll kill them all as they hatch. I’ve seen it happen. She’s doing it on purpose.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

Take her away or she’ll kill them all as they hatch. I’ve seen it happen. She’s doing it on purpose.

Ok. I did as you suggested. My worst chicken nightmare happened. Better to have eggs that don’t hatch because I can’t incubate them than to see her kill them. She is my sweetest, most gentle hen too and she was so good at sitting. I don’t know why she couldn’t handle the peeping sounds!

 

[roosterhavoc]

Ok. I did as you suggested. My worst chicken nightmare happened. Better to have eggs that don’t hatch because I can’t incubate them than to see her kill them. She is my sweetest, most gentle hen too and she was so good at sitting. I don’t know why she couldn’t handle the peeping sounds!

Can you keep them warm? Heating pad? Heat lamp? Some sort of heater etc.. If you can and they’re still good you might get a few to hatch. Better than nothing. I would either get rid of that hen or don’t let her set again. Regardless of age that’s screwy behavior and has nothing to do with lack of maturity.