Extremely injured chick- please help me!!!

[sourland]

no, the other hen had no access to the mama and her chicks. they’re in a secure coop all their own.

Then there is no question that the mother scalped this chick and killed the other two. I would take the remaining chicks from her and never use her as a broody mom again. Sorry that you have to deal with this.

 

[avallen]

Then there is no question that the mother scalped this chick and killed the other two. I would take the remaining chicks from her and never use her as a broody mom again. Sorry that you have to deal with this.

oh ok. it just confused me because she loves her other chicks so much and is very protective of them. I didn’t think that she would ever kill one of her babies. she’s very nurturing to the 3 she does have.

 

[sourland]

Are all of the chicks the same color? Were the killed chicks the same color as those she is caring for? Did all of the chicks hatch at the same time, or was it a staggered hatch? If a staggered hatch, she imprinted on the first chicks and all others are regarded as intruders. Staggered hatches are frequently problematic. She may be fine with the 3 remaining chicks.

 

[avallen]

Are all of the chicks the same color? Were the killed chicks the same color as those she is caring for? Did all of the chicks hatch at the same time, or was it a staggered hatch? If a staggered hatch, she imprinted on the first chicks and all others are regarded as intruders. Staggered hatches are frequently problematic. She may be fine with the 3 remaining chicks.

out of the 3 she has alive now, 2 are grey and one is black, the black one being about 2 days older than the first grey one, and the first grey one being a day older than the last grey one. the first one she killed was grey, and it was also scalped like the one i have now, although it was already dead when i found it. the second dead one i found was still wet and surrounded by shell, as if it had just hatched, yet it was dead. i believe it would have been grey if it had dried off.
it was an extremely staggered hatch! which worried and confused me, as this is my first time dealing with a mama hatching chicks. i thought they all hatched on the same day, or over the course of 2 days. but each chick hatched about a day or two apart. after the 3 she has now hatched, she kept sitting on the nest for 3 days before i found the first dead one. then it was 3 days later that i found the second dead one. and then today i found another mangled little guy still alive. there are still 4 unhatched eggs left but the mama got off the nest finally to care for the 3 she has. so all in all, she had 10 eggs, 3 of which hatched and she cared for, and 3 of which she attacked, and the last 4 eggs she abandoned.
why do staggered hatches happen? is it normal? what should i do next time when i realize it will be a staggered hatch? also, how do i dispose of the 4 unhatched eggs? should i just chuck them in the trash or is there a better way?
sorry for all the questions, this is my first time dealing with a mama and her chicks. thank you so much!

 

[sourland]

Staggered hatches occur when eggs are added to the nest after the hen has started setting.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

So the 3 survivors are the ones that hatched first? It is normal for a broody to abandon late hatching eggs to care for her early hatchees, but very rare to keep incubating the eggs and then kill the chicks as they hatch.

Did other hens continue to lay eggs in the broody's nestbox after she began incubating her clutch? That is the most common reason for a staggered hatch. To prevent a staggered hatch, give the broody all the eggs at the same time, so the embryos will all develop at approximately the same rate.

Place the unhatched eggs in a plastic ziploc type baggie before you throw them away. You could also bury them if you prefer that method of disposal.

 

[avallen]

So the 3 survivors are the ones that hatched first? It is normal for a broody to abandon late hatching eggs to care for her early hatchees, but very rare to keep incubating the eggs and then kill the chicks as they hatch.

Did other hens continue to lay eggs in the broody's nestbox after she began incubating her clutch? That is the most common reason for a staggered hatch. To prevent a staggered hatch, give the broody all the eggs at the same time, so the embryos will all develop at approximately the same rate.

Place the unhatched eggs in a plastic ziploc type baggie before you throw them away. You could also bury them if you prefer that method of disposal.

yes, the three survivors hatched first.
after those hatched, she kept incubating the rest and started to kill them as they hatched. maybe it’s because she’s young and inexperienced?
we only have 3 full grown chickens. we have 1 rooster and 2 hens, one of which is the mom. the other hen had no access to the broody mama, so she didn’t cause the staggered hatch. the broody mom just layed the some of the eggs days apart, which i think is why it was a staggered hatch.
thank you so much for the tips! i greatly appreciate it, as this is my first time!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Normally a bird species (whether chicken, cardinal, etc etc) will lay an egg each day or two until she feels she has an appropriate size clutch to incubate. It is normally instinct for "mom" to remain away from her nest until she is ready to start the process. All eggs remain fertile but dormant until the broody begins to set. That way the early laid eggs begin developing at the same time as the last laid egg. Since your broody did not follow the norm, next time you will need to perform that task for her, by removing her "dummy" eggs and giving her a clutch. Allow her to set on eggs (real or fake) that you don't want her to hatch, until you have enough eggs that you do.
It's normal for late-hatched chicks to get left behind (and as a result sometimes die due to hypothermia or other causes). The fact she killed the younger hatchees but dotes on the three oldest signified she did see the younger hatchlings as intruders. Hopefully she will raise the original three with no issues. Still, since she Is a known chick killer for reason(s) only to her, I would be prepared to intervene by removing survivors asap and never let her hatch chicks again if she does another such misdeed. Hopefully now and in the future, she will be a great mom, as long as all chicks hatch within a day or two of each other.

 

[avallen]

Normally a bird species (whether chicken, cardinal, etc etc) will lay an egg each day or two until she feels she has an appropriate size clutch to incubate. It is normally instinct for "mom" to remain away from her nest until she is ready to start the process. All eggs remain fertile but dormant until the broody begins to set. That way the early laid eggs begin developing at the same time as the last laid egg. Since your broody did not follow the norm, next time you will need to perform that task for her, by removing her "dummy" eggs and giving her a clutch. Allow her to set on eggs (real or fake) that you don't want her to hatch, until you have enough eggs that you do.
It's normal for late-hatched chicks to get left behind (and as a result sometimes die due to hypothermia or other causes). The fact she killed the younger hatchees but dotes on the three oldest signified she did see the younger hatchlings as intruders. Hopefully she will raise the original three with no issues. Still, since she Is a known chick killer for reason(s) only to her, I would be prepared to intervene by removing survivors asap and never let her hatch chicks again if she does another such misdeed. Hopefully now and in the future, she will be a great mom, as long as all chicks hatch within a day or two of each other.

thank you so very much! i appreciate your advice and will keep that in mind! thank you again!

 

[SummerTheAnimalGirl]

Hello! I am so sorry to hear about that your poor chick. Did it survive?