Cochin Chicks HATCHING! Questions need help please!

[Organie-Cochins]

I just went into the barn and one of the chicks is pippin! He is going on about it too! chirping away...

I can't wait.
There is a hole the size of my thumb right now and his foot is stickig out a little.

I have a problem though, the mother hen went broody after 2-3 eggs and then more appeared everyday due to other hens laying in her box. now she has 7 with her, and they are about 5 days apart.

After someones suggestion i am going to remove the babys as they hatch and then re-introduce at night when the rest hatch.

My question is:

Should i take him away when he is in the middle of hatching or wait until he is hatched and remove him and the end and place him in the brooder right away?
My brooder is a home-made incubator that failed, so it's closed in on 4 sides with the top open. Is that okay?

Thanks for all your help! I'll post pics as they arrive!

 

[debilorrah]

Let him alone. The mama knows what she is doing. Let the chick hatch naturally. Mama knows what to do.

 

[Love my Critters!]

Definately leave the chick alone! Wait until it is out of the egg and completely dry. Good luck taking it from mom. She's probably not going to be very nice about it.

 

[Organie-Cochins]

Alrighty, so i'm going to leave the chick with her until he's out and dried.

If i were to leave the chick with mom, do you think she'd stay with the eggs until they all hatch?

If she won't, this is why i am prepared to remove the chicks while they hatch until the last one hatches and then give the back to her at night.

The mama is quite friendly with me, she makes a fuss if others go near her. I sit with her and pet her each day so she has grown used to be being there.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

We had that problem too. My hen abandoned the other eggs once her four "oldest" chicks hatched, and those died. Once one is under her, and the eggs stop hatching, she will abandon them, so your younger eggs will die. I'd say, settle for the older let the three hatch and take away the rest of the eggs. If you have a 'bator you can put them in it and see if she'll take them back, but if you don't, she'll abandon the nest for her hatched chicks.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
It wont matter if you leave them or take them, when she has had enough she will leave the nest. I usually like to seperate a broody so the others dont lay behind her. Just causes confusion.

 

[Organie-Cochins]

Quote:
We didn't know before, but after finding out half way through we seperated her from the other chickens and candled the eggs, removed the ones that were not far along and tried them in a home-made incubator... failed.

It's been quite a journey and a learning one at that.
After these chicks are hatched were going to get things going and done properly for next time, be more prepared. Were also going to look to buy an incubator too.

We've had 3 out of 4 hens go broody with-in weeks apart. One we left her with her eggs, the other two we had to break.

Thanks for your help

 

[Organie-Cochins]

I just went to check, he's out of his egg but wet still,

the 6 eggs left, not have begun pipping.... any thoughts? If he's already out of his egg, and the others haven't started pipping... does this mean their times are different or ?

I would have loved to remove the eggs and hatch them in the incubator but it's a failed incubator already and i don't want to take the chance and loose the rest. Atleast i know if i remove him she will hatch the rest? or will she?

Lol... friendly... or shall i say WAS friendly. Now she seems she's upped her momma protection by 100, she doesn't want me near her. I couldn't blame her, she's a good momma.