Emergency! Please help! Momma and just hatched chicks killed a few eggs left. How to hatch?

[Team Nathumn]

Help! Our speckled Sussex has been sitting on a clutch of eggs for weeks. We live in the woods and she found a pretty safe spot. We believe last night many of the eggs hatched and coyotes came and ate them and the momma. We have about 7 eggs left. Most look very close to hatching. They were cold when we found them. What should we do? We don't have an incubator.

 

[sylviethecochin]

@WVduckchick, @azygous, @Wyorp Rock ?

Do you have a heat lamp or a heating pad and a thermometer?

You can use a heat lamp over a bucket under emergency conditions. Use a thermometer and keep an eye on it. I recommend the bucket because that way you can put a bowl of water (with a sponge to help it evaporate) in there to keep humidity up.

If you use a heating pad, cover it with a blanket so that the eggs don't get burnt, and see if you can put it under a bin (clear plastic is great!) with a thermometer so that you can see how the temp is doing. Again, humidity is important.

Don't damp rags and wrap them around the eggs for humidity--they'll suck the heat right out, even if they are warm.

Good luck.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@WVduckchick, @azygous, @Wyorp Rock ?

Do you have a heat lamp or a heating pad and a thermometer?

You can use a heat lamp over a bucket under emergency conditions. Use a thermometer and keep an eye on it. I recommend the bucket because that way you can put a bowl of water (with a sponge to help it evaporate) in there to keep humidity up.

If you use a heating pad, cover it with a blanket so that the eggs don't get burnt, and see if you can put it under a bin (clear plastic is great!) with a thermometer so that you can see how the temp is doing. Again, humidity is important.

Don't damp rags and wrap them around the eggs for humidity--they'll suck the heat right out, even if they are warm.

Good luck.

Sounds like some great ideas @sylviethecochin !

 

[sylviethecochin]

Sounds like some great ideas @sylviethecochin !

Thank you. Coming from you, that means a lot.

 

[sylviethecochin]

OP, how are they doing? Are things working out well? Have you found the hen?

 

[WVduckchick]

Following for an update.