Chirping has stopped

[motherhen1988]

Any advice welcomed. So my friend has a broody chicken. I gave her some fertilised eggs and one hatched yesterday. One was chirping.and rocking then started to.hatch and died mid.hatch. the third was chirping and has since stopped. Shes done a float test and its floating. Shes worrying now. Should she step in and help or leave alone. If shes to help how should she go about helping?
TIA

 

[JaeG]

Did the egg rock around when she float tested it? A live chick doesn't like being floated and the egg should jerk. Can you hear it tapping inside the shell, trying to pip? They will chirp to connect with other chicks and the hen, then get down to the business of breaking out.

It's important not to interfere as trying to 'help' too early is dangerous for the chick. They need to finish absorbing their yolk and the blood vessels need to close off before they actually hatch fully. There's a lot going on between pipping and hatch. I'd only help if the chick has pipped externally and hasn't progressed for at least 24 hours, but that is difficult to judge under a hen. Try not to take a pipped egg out from under the mother hen as her body is keeping the humidity high enough for it to hatch safely and prevent the membrane from drying out.

I know it's difficult though - it's so hard waiting to see those gorgeous little chicks! If it doesn't hatch you've got to trust that it wasn't meant to be and be glad you have one little cutie.

 

[motherhen1988]

It did move in the water buy I summed it was me putting it in and I think I felt it tap against the egg when I walked it back to the coop but I'm trying not to get excited as it may have been just me holding it and walking

 

[JaeG]

Fingers crossed it will hatch soon. The hen will sit for about 2 days after her first baby hatched before abandoning her nest to take her chicks to find food, so just keep an eye on that in case your little one keeping you in suspense hasn't quite hatched out yet.

If there is a couple of days between the chicks hatching, the younger one might need a few cuddles from you two as the hen may be busy scratching about to find food for her older baby rather than giving the younger the cuddles that a chick needs in that first 48 hours. It depends on the hen though and whether she will let you touch her babies.

There's nothing cuter than a hen proudly looking after her chicks.