Hands on hatching and help

[AmyLynn2374]

I recieved an email this morning asking if I would be hatching more silkies because one of my previous buyers would like more.
Unfortunately I'm not. Too much going on trying to clean out the house and boxing up stuff. No idea when we might possibly be able to move, so trying to get things in order for when.

 

[kwhites634]

I've been right here! Well, except for the last week. Lol How are you!!

Another day older, another day dumber....story of my life.

 

[Beau Garden]

I set eggs under a brood and they were supposed to hatch by Tuesday morning. When I went out to check on them there were two eggs that were completely smashed and looked like the babies had developed well had they not gotten smooshed. The other eggs still haven't hatched so I'm not sure what to do. Do I take them from her and incubate them? Do I leave them? She's worked so hard and I feel bad for her. This is my first time leaving it with the hen so I'm not sure what to do now.

 

[WVduckchick]

I set eggs under a brood and they were supposed to hatch by Tuesday morning. When I went out to check on them there were two eggs that were completely smashed and looked like the babies had developed well had they not gotten smooshed. The other eggs still haven't hatched so I'm not sure what to do. Do I take them from her and incubate them? Do I leave them? She's worked so hard and I feel bad for her. This is my first time leaving it with the hen so I'm not sure what to do now.

is she separated from other chickens? Does it look like they were intentionally killed, or accidentally smashed?
also depends on how badly you want the chicks, but I'd lean toward leaving them with her for at least one more.

 

[Big D Tapp]

I have found that when my brooding hen is bothered or excited then she is all over the place. I try and keep mine in an area where she can not see the other chickens and mostly she can not be bothered. Hope this helps.

 

[Beau Garden]

She's in a small coop and run of her own next to the main coop. I'm not sure if she did it on purpose or not. They were flat and when I moved her to get them out from under her she was trying to eat it. Sick, right?

 

[moomoodiddy]

Ugh I cannot get all of my thermometers to calibrate

 

[WVduckchick]

She's in a small coop and run of her own next to the main coop. I'm not sure if she did it on purpose or not. They were flat and when I moved her to get them out from under her she was trying to eat it. Sick, right?

Tough call. What did you decide?

Broodies can sometimes be bad mommies. Last month, I had a broody cochin and one of her flockmates started sitting with her. I let them brood together, they seemed to do fine. Until the first chick hatched. I found it dead, but I wasn't sure which one killed it. Guessed it was the butt-inski, so I pulled her from the broody box, and let the original momma hatch and raise the rest. I got lucky.

Now I have another hen from that same group brooding, and butt-inski is now sitting with her!! And a 3rd hen decided to join the crowd yesterday. The original hen is about a week in, I believe, I have no idea what I'm going to do with them! lol

 

[AmyLynn2374]

She's in a small coop and run of her own next to the main coop. I'm not sure if she did it on purpose or not. They were flat and when I moved her to get them out from under her she was trying to eat it. Sick, right?

I would pull them if you have a incubator, finish the incubation and give the chicks back and see if she'll accept them. That's my thought on it.

Ugh I cannot get all of my thermometers to calibrate

Do you have a glass one that goes down to 32F that you can do the ice water test?

 

[Big D Tapp]

She's in a small coop and run of her own next to the main coop. I'm not sure if she did it on purpose or not. They were flat and when I moved her to get them out from under her she was trying to eat it. Sick, right?

When I do let a hen sit on her eggs I have learned to put her and the eggs in a separate cage, which is a heavy duty cage or dog kennel which is wrapped in chicken wire and she is out of site of all the others. We usually have to take her off her nest daily so she will eat and drink and do other business and she will always go back to her nest after a few minutes. This keeps others from getting on her or the eggs and keeps her stress down. I have only been raising chickens, ducks and a few turkeys for about the past 9 or so months. I am still learning that it really depends on the hen and the location of the nest. I lost a baby turkey yesterday, not because the mother did something, but just because it was just too weak to break out of it shell. I missed the opportunity to help it out. More to learned always.