Hatching Questions

[chickeneer45]

Okay so I have several questions regarding hatching since I have never hatched eggs either by broody or incubator in my life. My hen has been broody for about 21 days now, and today I checked under her (that was probably the wrong thing to do) and saw a baby chick. I am almost 100 percent sure there was only one. Now, like the beginner I stupidly am, I never separated her from the flock so as it turns out my other hens have been laying their eggs under her. So what was seven eggs is now thirteen. My first question is: will she leaves the eggs after a set amount of days or will she wait until they all hatch because several of them will now hatch for weeks to come. Also, my two other hens keep going in the coop and being nuisances. Would it be wise to lock the coop up for the day so they can't bother her? If I did this I guess I would have to provide food and water in the coop. I have starter that I could spread across the floor which is clean. However, water is a different story. I know that potential drowning of chicks is dangerous for chicks, so would it be unwise to place a basin with like one or two inches of water in it in the coop with them? If this not okay, any other ideas would greatly be appreciated. I am really hoping for answers for all of my questions since I really do find them all extremely important for my broody and her hens safety. Any general knowledge would also be extremely helpful. Thanks so much. (An answer soon would be wonderful!)

 

[chickeneer45]

Also, to add to my questions, there was also an egg laying in the middle of the coop that was cracked open. I feel like that egg might be the one the chick came out of since there was a little blood in it. However, why would the egg be in the middle of the coop. Is it possible that the momma hen removed the empty egg after the chick hatched? It seems really odd to me...

 

[3BirdGirlz]

In my opinion...I would separate the hen and chick. You need to make sure the chick eats and drinks so it doesn't die. They can live off their absorbed yolk for a day or 2, but if the hen wont get off the nest the baby will need shown how to eat an drink. You could take the chick and brood it yourself...that way the hen could hatch out more if you want. If you don't want more chicks, take the eggs and leave baby with the hen. The hen should then take care of the chick.
For a brooder, use a heat lamp that will be about 95• and then put in chick starter and water.
Hope this helps some!

 

[FFAChickenFan]

Now that the first batch of eggs have hatched it is unlikely that she will continue to sit on the newer ones. Most likely, she will assume that they are duds and abandon them, since they didn't hatch. You should consider putting them in an incubator to finish out their incubation days. Do you know when they were laid? If you want to have a chance of them surviving now you will need to find out how long ago they were lain so that you can properly continue the incubation process. Candling them wouldn't be a bad idea either, just to make sure everything is normal and it would be worth trying to hatch them.

There's nothing wrong with there only being one chick now, but there may be more to come. If she had seven eggs underneath her chances are the rest are still hatching. The hatching process can take a while, so don't get impatient and assume you're only getting one chick- just wait it out for a while. If after about a day there are still some in the nest, I would suggest smelling them for rotten-ness and then candling the others to see what stage of development they're in.

As far as the safety of the chicks who have already been born, if the other hens are bothering the mother hen and her chicks it wouldn't be a bad idea to separate them for at least the first 24 hours while the chicks adjust to their new life. As the water is concerned, I would NOT leave two inches of water in the coop with the chicks, a shallow dish with some clean rocks from the backyard will assure that the chicks can have a water source without drowning. They'll make it so that the water doesn't have any deep spots for them to drown in, and the chickens will drink in the spaces between them. Just make sure you keep it filled up! This is a crucial time for chicks to get water.

The egg in the middle of the coop.. I'm not sure! I would check around to make sure theres no little chicks running around, just in case. A newborn without the safety of their mommas feathers or an incubator could die fairly quickly out in the open.

Best of luck!!

 

[Sonja73]

I agree, I would separate them as well after day 2 if the hen is still broody. The eggs is likely to be that of the hatched chick. Okay, if you decide to separate them, you can use like a Rubbermaid tote, the bottom can be lined with paper towels or pine shavings (stay away from cedar). If you are concerned about drowning, put rocks/marbles in the container with the water. You can use plastic lids, etc. The chick isn't going to care. When you are all set up, make sure that where you place the heat lamp, the chick/s can move closer/further away from the heat. Make sure the tote/water is already warmed up prior to setting your chick in it. I think that I covered all your questions?

 

[chickeneer45]

Thank you so much! I will work out something for the water right now. I guess I will wait 24 hours before I remove the other eggs too. Thanks again!

 

[chickeneer45]

Another question: In order to find out how many have hatched, could I lift the broody for a second to see? Or would that be too dangerous/stressful? Also, if the answer to my previous question is no, when can I lift her? And also I plan to check her tomorrow evening and if she is still laying I will remove the rest of the eggs. Is this okay or should I wait until Tuesday? Thanks again... I have the basin of water in there with rocks we'll see how that goes...

 

[Sonja73]

I have lifted mine completely off the nest for food and water, and they always return right back after they are done. I have heard that a hen can actually starve herself to death brooding. I do not know that as a fact, just hearsay. The thing is to be careful. Lift her from the front with her wings hugged in the palms of your hands. You don't want her flapping around and stepping on eggs/chicks. As long as you don't make a habit of checking, i.e. every half hours, she will be fine.

 

[chickeneer45]

Okay thanks I checked at around eleven because I didn't know she had hatched any at all. Is it too soon to check now?

 

[chickeneer45]

Which was three hours ago, so basically, is three hours later too soon to lift her up again?