Egg hatching help

[mcnichol]

My hen has been laying on her eggs for quite some time. Tonight as I was checking them, I found one with half of its shell missing. It was covered with the thick white coating and was moving underneath. I don't know what to make of it. I hope the pic posts well. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[bobbi-j]

I would leave it alone, but that's me - I have a hands off policy when I have a broody hatching. I figure chickens have been hatching eggs for centuries before people decided that they needed to "help" them. Mama knows best, and can do her best work without interference. She has just the right temperature and humidity to get those babies hatched just fine! Will there be some that don't hatch? Possibly. It happens.Sometimes the egg never developed or died early on, and sometimes the chick is deformed or too weak to make it out of the shell.

 

[Cluckywucky]

Hello any advice for a first timer rearing chicks. Mother has been on eggs for 4 weeks now and 4 have hatched, 2 last Friday and 2 on Sunday, When do I give up on the last 3 eggs? Will the mum chuck them out of nest area, should we check them for noises etc, or as you said above let her get on with it. I just don't want them to crack and make the nursery area smelly if they have not survived. All candled a while back and all seemed to be doing well. any advice would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

 

[furry feet]

I agree let miss hen do her thing

 

[BellsCluckers]

I am having an issue with my broody hen! My broody hen has gotten up off her chicks that are hatching right now and it seems that some of them are getting vacuum packed inside. I say this because the membrane is around the chick and I could crack the egg off with out the membrane being touched. I don't want to touch her chicks though because she might come back. Should I just moisten the eggs that have piped or started to hatch?? I see beaks already but I think some are stuck. Water on membrane maybe??

 

[NateinFL]

Do you have an incubator you can transfer them to and let them hatch there? Chicks that are helped out of the egg are much less likely to survive.

 

[BellsCluckers]

Yea I put them in my incubator and none of them made any progress one ended up passing and it was about half way out of the egg but the membrane was stuck to the chick. I helped the other four because they were all in the same boat and I didn't want to loose them. They survived the night outside with mama but I am preying they are ok, they are eating, crawling around, and squawking! Time will tell.

 

[furry feet]

I would have left them in the incubator for a while hopefully the hen will help them. Good luck hope they make it

 

[mcnichol]

One pic was the egg in question, which unfortunately didn't make it. So far three have hatched and the last has started to peck. The other pic is of the new babies!

 

[BellsCluckers]

It looks like the mama stepped on that one. Mine stepped on one of hers too I took it out cuz I thought it was dead. But closer inspection it was still breathing I helped it hatch and it has been three days now.