General Egg Hatching

[Chickens_321]

Hi everyone!

So we have a broody hen who has been sitting on her eggs for about 20 days (Give or take a few days) and they have started hatching!

Now it’s the first time my family and I raise chickens and see them through the hatching process and we made a few mistakes along the way so I have a few questions I would like to ask:

*Note: We are not using an incubator, one of our broody hens is doing the hatching process but we would like to help if necessary

1. How long after the first peep should we wait for a chick to hatch? (It’s made it’s first hole and is peeping, we can see it’s feather but we’re not sure how long it is supposed to take)

2. One chick has already hatched but we didn’t notice until we came to check and it was dead. My sister checked it for any visible injuries but we found none. All we found strange was that it’s belly was still wet (Not with blood) while the rest of its feathers were dry. Does anyone have an idea as to why it may have died and are there any steps we should take to prevent any deaths after they’re born?

3. This one is a bit dumb but the chicks will hatch fine under the mother right? My mom is nervous they’ll suffocate or her sitting on they will squish them when they hatch.

4. Any other advice? We’re patiently waiting and any further questions will be updated here.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

It usually takes about 12-18 hours after a chick externally pips for it to hatch. You do not need to worry about assisting until it has been at least 24 hours after the external pip, or 12 since an internal pip. Your first chick that hatched may have been stepped on by the mother, the wet down on the bottom may not mean anything or it could mean that it hatched with the yolk sac not fully absorbed (which then ruptured, killing the chick). The second is more unlikely though.

Generally they hatch under the mother just fine. In fact, they often hatch much better than in an incubator, because the humidity, temperature and turning are all managed by the hen, who keeps them just right. Thus, you usually do not need to assist eggs under a broody.

 

[Chickens_321]

It usually takes about 12-18 hours after a chick externally pips for it to hatch. You do not need to worry about assisting until it has been at least 24 hours after the external pip, or 12 since an internal pip. Your first chick that hatched may have been stepped on by the mother, the wet down on the bottom may not mean anything or it could mean that it hatched with the yolk sac not fully absorbed (which then ruptured, killing the chick). The second is more unlikely though.

Generally they hatch under the mother just fine. In fact, they often hatch much better than in an incubator, because the humidity, temperature and turning are all managed by the hen, who keeps them just right. Thus, you usually do not need to assist eggs under a broody.

Thank you so much! I'll keep your info in mind. We've been monitoring this second chick and it looks like he/she is on track to hatch within that time frame without our help!

 

[Chickens_321]

It usually takes about 12-18 hours after a chick externally pips for it to hatch. You do not need to worry about assisting until it has been at least 24 hours after the external pip, or 12 since an internal pip. Your first chick that hatched may have been stepped on by the mother, the wet down on the bottom may not mean anything or it could mean that it hatched with the yolk sac not fully absorbed (which then ruptured, killing the chick). The second is more unlikely though.

Generally they hatch under the mother just fine. In fact, they often hatch much better than in an incubator, because the humidity, temperature and turning are all managed by the hen, who keeps them just right. Thus, you usually do not need to assist eggs under a broody.

Our second chick just hatched! Thank you so much!

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Thank you so much! I'll keep your info in mind. We've been monitoring this second chick and it looks like he/she is on track to hatch within that time frame without our help!

Our second chick just hatched! Thank you so much!

Congratulations!