cracked eggs question

[riddleluvsrotties]

we had one chick hatch successfully. five more eggs were in waiting. our hens started fighting over the clutch, and then today we found three casualties. one egg was totally crushed and sitting five feet away from the roost. two eggs were cracked inside the nest. we removed them. but now i wonder, should i rush out and buy an incubator as though i could do better than the hen? or should i tack it up as nature being nature, and cut my losses while chugging forward? the lonely chick is healthy and thriving, though i can't help but worry about those two eggs still in the nest... i've had chickens for years, i'm a virgin in the hatching world.

 

[stellas mommy]

How badly cracked? I have herd good things about candle wax to help patch up an egg thats not badly cracked.

 

[stellas mommy]

wait a min how old are these eggs?

 

[riddleluvsrotties]

the egg that was out of the nest was totally crushed. chick was about two weeks from hatching. the other two weren't as badly cracked, though they were very bloody. one of those two was probably a day away from hatching (if that) the chick inside had a pea sized yolk sac that barely stuck out. the other was a little further along than the crushed egg. all three eggs were ice cold. we had a serious cold front hit us the day before yesterday and went from a high of 100 degrees to a high of 64 degrees over night. we had to turn on the heat lamp in the roost last night.
i haven't seen the hens fighting today, but i really don't want to necropsy any more eggs. i'll have to remember the candle wax thing though, i have a few pounds of gulf wax, would that work if i find any more cracked eggs, warm ones i mean?
i've never seen a busted egg with so much blood, it was nasty. took me half an hour to scrub the blood off the nest box.

 

[stellas mommy]

Ok well even if the egg itself feels cold, the internal temp takes a long time to change. So even if its cold to us its still warm to them for a pretty good amount of time. I would honestly just put some wax on the egg, and set it back under the mom as quick as possible. maybe even let her lay on them first before doing it so that the heat gets back to them.

Make sure theres no chance of another one fighting with her. I have always made a special place just for the broodies where they wont be bothered.

 

[riddleluvsrotties]

I kinda thought when i found them in a puddle of blood, it was too late.

i was more worried about the remaining two eggs, which was the primary point to my post. should i or shouldn't I rush out and buy an incubator. after reading the feed on candling eggs, i got a wild hair up my assinine and peeked. i knew they were well over eighteen days old, and (imagine for a moment my shock) to see a beak poking out in the air sac, breathing.

there was a clear pulse in the second egg, though there wasn't much in it that was translucent so i imagine it won't be very long for that one either.

my first time candling and i peek a beak... go figure.

still wondering if i should buy an incubator or not, so far we've had; one hatch, three die, and two still yet to be seen.

i've noticed a lot of folks on this site incubate their fertile eggs, and hand raise their hatched chicks. this is the first time i've had hens that didn't turn out to be roosters, and i'm new to the idea of broody hens, and incubators. either way; this site is my best bet.

 

[mommywoes]

If I were you I would just separate the broody with her remaining eggs and let her finish the job rather than running out and buying an incubator. If they were just started I'd say sure get an incubator but since they're so close just leave them with mom. You can always place the hen in a large dog kennel to finish the hatch. If you don't have a kennel a cardboard box works in a pinch... or you can even make a mini coop within a coop. Which is how our chicks will be integrated with our flock. Good luck!!

 

[riddleluvsrotties]

Thanks so much for the advice. The eggs we candled, with the beak poking out in the air sac, have not begun to hatch, but i could feel movment inside the egg. i'm not sure how long it takes from breaking into the air sac to rupturing the shell... but the little egg is sure hopping lol! i'm glad you said an incubator was less than nessisary, i like the old fashioned method. we're all waiting with baited breath...