First time hatching eggs with broody hen

[sumi]

It hatched same day as the other eggs she was sitting on. I don't know how long it was out there, getting wet! But it didn't harm it in any way. Have a look here also:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/714683/question-on-hatching#post_9760698

 

[Min27]

Thanks everyone. Our one remaining egg is hatching right now! I could hear peeping coming from my broody's nest this morning, and see a little beak coming out of a crack in the egg. At one point the chicken was helping the chick crack the egg.

It's started to rain lightly, so the chicken has put it under her. We're going to put both the chicken and chick into a box in the garage once the chick is out so it will be warm.

I'll remember all your advice for the next time I get a broody hen and want to make it a mother.

UPDATE:
We've moved both the chicken and chick into a box in the garage to get them out of the rain and cold outside. The weather is miserable here today. (Our chick is yellow and black in colour, and very small).

I peeled back the eggshell a bit to help it get out. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, because it was stumbling around blind for a little while, trying to kick out of the egg (even though it was already out of the egg). Now it's opened its eyes and is huddling under the chicken. Unfortunately my chicken is a first time mother, and can't quite tell when the chick wants to get under her.

But now I have another problem. All that sitting made our chicken get lice really bad. We want to de-louse her, but know it's risky considering she has a baby now and most lice powders are meant for chickens over 6 weeks of age. We dusted her with the powder yesterday before the egg hatched (and it helped, it's not nearly as bad as yesterday), but she still has some left on her. When we moved her into the garage, I found there were more lice in her nest than on her, which I suppose is a good thing, but if I don't control the lice we might not have this chick for much longer.

 

[Old English GB]

Thanks everyone. Our one remaining egg is hatching right now! I could hear peeping coming from my broody's nest this morning, and see a little beak coming out of a crack in the egg. At one point the chicken was helping the chick crack the egg.

It's started to rain lightly, so the chicken has put it under her. We're going to put both the chicken and chick into a box in the garage once the chick is out so it will be warm.

I'll remember all your advice for the next time I get a broody hen and want to make it a mother.

UPDATE:
We've moved both the chicken and chick into a box in the garage to get them out of the rain and cold outside. The weather is miserable here today. (Our chick is yellow and black in colour, and very small).

I peeled back the eggshell a bit to help it get out. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, because it was stumbling around blind for a little while, trying to kick out of the egg (even though it was already out of the egg). Now it's opened its eyes and is huddling under the chicken. Unfortunately my chicken is a first time mother, and can't quite tell when the chick wants to get under her.

But now I have another problem. All that sitting made our chicken get lice really bad. We want to de-louse her, but know it's risky considering she has a baby now and most lice powders are meant for chickens over 6 weeks of age. We dusted her with the powder yesterday before the egg hatched (and it helped, it's not nearly as bad as yesterday), but she still has some left on her. When we moved her into the garage, I found there were more lice in her nest than on her, which I suppose is a good thing, but if I don't control the lice we might not have this chick for much longer.

I use Ivermectin (cattle pour on) 5mg/ml on ALL my birds once per month. For a LF bird use .5ml (total dose) dripped on back of neck & under each wing. Use .25ml for a bantam, 1 drop on the back of the neck for a chick & a drop on neck & under each wing for chicks over 3-4 weeks. It kills lice, mites & worms & works great. TSC carries it (generic of Ivermec in red & yellow box) in the livestock meds section, usually locked in the med case. You may have to ask for it since they usually keep it locked up.

 

[Min27]

I have a chemical formula (where ivermectin is the active ingredient) that instructs to apply 1ml to the back of the neck every 3 months to control lice/mites. I've applied it to the mother hen (with little immediate effect - maybe it takes a while to work) but haven't touched the baby with anything like that.

The website where I got it from has further instructions, saying I can apply 0.3ml on chicks up to 12 weeks of age. Should I try doing that on a day old chick?

 

[Old English GB]

I wouldn't put more than 1 drop on a newly hatched chick.

 

[Min27]

Thanks. Today I put the mother and chick out in the sun (in their box with a metal grate on top to stop predators). They're going well. The mother (Birchey) has taught the chick (Lucky) how to eat and preen, but the chick isn't getting the hang of drinking.

The number of lice (or technically mites since I did the research and found these bugs were only 1mm in diameter) has decreased dramatically, but there are still some present in the box. We were thinking of continuing to expose their box to sunlight and put a little bit of pestene powder (what we usually use to treat parasites) on the bottom of the box when we change the newspaper (so the powder is under the newspaper).

 

[Old English GB]

You need to completely remove & replace all bedding. The lice/mites multiply in the bedding. Make sure to thoroughly dust or spray the box before adding new bedding.

 

[Min27]

Our chick is growing well. It's full of energy and loves to be outside. The mother has taught it to preen, graze and drink from a water dispenser. The little one is very fond of oats (as long as I grind them up first). Each day I take them out into a small cage outside when it gets warm enough and shut them in that for most of the day. They run around in the sun and graze. I also replace the newspaper (this is flat newspaper, not shredded) in their box every day.

Yesterday I put pestene dust on both the mother hen and in the bottom of the box before putting new newspaper in. It seems these mites are indestructible though. I'm still getting one on me from time to time (not nearly as many as before though, they are slowly decreasing), so I dusted the mother again today. I'm still a little concerned about using this dust near a 3 day old chick. It's poisonous stuff.

 

[Old English GB]

I've used Ivermectin on day old chicks with no ill effects. 1 drop is all it takes. You can get a bottle at TSC in the cattle meds section for $15. You want Ivermectin Cattle pour on 5mg/ml in the red & yellow box. The bottle will last forever. It's huge. Dosage for bantams is .25 ml & .5ml for large fowl. Make sure you also give them sand or dirt to dust bathe in. This helps them naturally loosen & remove the bugs themselves. Newspaper is NOT a good thing to use unless it's shredded. It's slippery & the little chick can very quickly develop spraddle or splay leg from lack of traction. Just use something that's easy to remove frequently. Wood chips can be used if you can vaccuum out the loose pieces each time. You can also use rubber mesh shelf liner. It's washable. Just get several pieces & wash them daily or every couple days. Make sure they are completely dry before putting them back in the box.

 

[Min27]

Thank you for your advice. I live in Australia, so the range of pest control products in quite limited (or at least the shops in my area don't carry them). The ivermectin drops I've been using might not be strong enough. Right now the mites seem to be less on the chickens and more on the bottom of their cage (I felt them crawl up my legs after being in their cage, but didn't feel any on me after handling the chicken). Hopefully they're travelling somewhere else.

The shelf liner is a good idea for the box. The chick is outside on the grass most of the day (he loves it out there) and only goes on the newspaper in the late afternoon and at night. I'll see if I can find some at my local shops anyway.

On an unrelated note, how old do you think the chick would have to be before I could leave him outside in the cage at night (or in the rain) with a nesting box for cover? The mother and chick don't like being moved inside and outside every day, and I know when this chick learns to jump, he'll want to explore the garage.