Found a dead chick...

[MyChickenShack]

I posted a thread a few weeks ago asking about my broody hens swapping nesting boxes and I was concerned about each of their clutch of eggs...being new to this I wasn't sure what to do. I thought they were swapping boxes because they had chose popular nesting boxes to sit in and were perhaps disturbed by other hens just wanting to lay an egg. My husband and I moved them to unpopular boxes and all seemed well, but I took the advice of another BYC member and got a large dog crate...inside it, I put 2 milk crates full of straw, 1 for each sitting hen and I have them water and feed inside the dog crate. The chicks are due this Wednesday and when I candled them last week, I could tell the egg was consumed by a dark area as if the once visible embryo and vessels was maturing into a chick. Though, not having experience even with candling, I wasn't sure what I was looking for and I really didn't see much "kicking" and "squirming" like a baby like I thought that I might. Today, I took the hens from the crates to see what may be progressing, letting them out of the dog crate to move around some, and I found a dead chick. It did not look developed. I really think it was dead and the hen got it out. I don't think it hatched first. There is another egg with a peck like area, but also some discharge like you would expect if you cracked an egg... I suspect something has gone wrong with it too, but being unsure, I left it for now. In the crate where I found the dead chick, that hen was sitting on 9 eggs, but she is down to 6. I have heard that hens will know if eggs are not good and dispose of them herself...I am only assuming she must have ate them, if that's possible, because they aren't there. I guess I really just need to wait and see, but if I need to be doing anything else, can someone advise me or tell me if they have experienced this... I am becoming discouraged that they have worked hard and there may be no chicks. I don't know if all the initial box swapping left too much time off the clutches of eggs and caused developmental problems....

 

[Jbently28]

I'm having this EXACT same problem with one of my bantam and my Turkey hen right now; switching boxes, stealing eggs, crushed eggs (one of them being on day 17), etc. I'm definitely following this for reference. Best of luck to you

 

[chickens really]

I never Brood Hens in my Coop. I set them up in my Brooder in my garage. It's quiet and zero interference from other Birds.

 

[MyChickenShack]

Just an update...yesterday, 5/23 was day 21 and so far I have 6 new babies!...so despite all the initial chaos with box swapping and getting the 2 hens moved to a dog crate and settled, in the end, they knew what they were doing. There are still 5 left to hatch as of last night...cant wait to check on them this morning.

 

[Jbently28]

That's awesome! Unfortunately, I only have 4 eggs left and keeping my fingers crossed that they'll stay sitting on them because they were late additions. At this point, I'd be happy just to hatch one.

 

[MyChickenShack]

Well, I guess 6 is all that there will be...one of my hens began pecking at 2 of the eggs, pecking the shell away, but the membrane intact. Clearly no movement inside. Those chicks in those 2 eggs had died and I guess she was trying to dispose of them. I disposed of the those 2 eggs and opened the door on the dog crate. After I opened the door, both hens tended to the 6 chicks together, leading them out into the main coop to eat and drink, abandoning the remaining eggs. I am just glad that for all of their hard work and efforts they each hatched 3 chicks. It is so neat to watch them together...I guess because they sit together and their chicks hatched at the same time, its like one big happy family. The hens stay together with all 6 chicks and they all nestle together in the dog crate coming and going as they please, but all together...it's so cute. Best of luck to you! I hope you hatch at least one also...keep us posted!