Hatching with 2 broodies

[Teila]

Hope someone is out there that can help me.
Two of Pennys eggs have pipped and I just went to check on her and the chick is out and dead! Baby looks fine but is dead. When I pick her up her head just rolls around.
I think Penny is killing these chicks! Too many now to just be something else everytime. If you remember all of her hatches have failed. Not one chick made it out alive. She is fine with grafted in chicks and is a really good mom, I cant believe this...
I took out the other egg that is chirping and put it under my other broody but I dont trust her either because she has never been a mama before. Should I take the egg and put it under the heat lamp? Will it hatch there?
HELP

Aaaw Marie, I am so sorry to read this sad news

I wish I could help you but I have no experience with these issues at all. I have a hard time getting my head around a mother hen killing her babies; unless she knows there is something wrong with them.

Sorry that I am not going to be very helpful on this occasion but I have you in my thoughts and hope that things get better

 

[Pinkaboo]

There won't bu humidity with just heat lamp put a dish of water in too but you'll need to watch the chick doesn't drown when it hatches

 

[16 paws]

Aaaw Marie, I am so sorry to read this sad news

I wish I could help you but I have no experience with these issues at all. I have a hard time getting my head around a mother hen killing her babies; unless she knows there is something wrong with them.

Sorry that I am not going to be very helpful on this occasion but I have you in my thoughts and hope that things get better

Thanks Teila,
I cant believe it either but it all adds up. Every single hatch she has had has resulted in no chicks alive. Very often they dont even make it to hatch day. They always end up cracked. Her last hatch had a baby chick hatch and was dead beside her head. This one was the same. It looked perfect, but its neck looked broken. She is sitting there with the baby under her like nothing is wrong. I dont get it. Nothing else could of hurt it but her. Sad day but these things happen and we really dont know why do we?
I know one thing, she will never be allowed to have eggs again.
Thanks for you kind words.

Marie

 

[Farmer Viola]

There won't bu humidity with just heat lamp put a dish of water in too but you'll need to watch the chick doesn't drown when it hatches

a soaking wet paper towel wad in on a plate or dish works, and no drowning risk. more surface area = more humidity; also the area should be somewhat enclosed with some ventilation to hold in the humidity. If you go that route, 16 paws...

maybe your other broody (not Penny) should be given a chance?

 

[16 paws]

I think I will just leave the one egg that is chirping under the other broody because I really dont know how to hatch it and I could do more harm than good.
Lets hope it makes it.
Marie

 

[Farmer Viola]

I think I will just leave the one egg that is chirping under the other broody because I really dont know how to hatch it and I could do more harm than good.
Lets hope it makes it.
Marie

good call, waiting impatiently to hear how she hatches out

 

[ShelbyCoral]

For the past 2-3 months I've lost around 15 chickens, thinking itwas maraks. I was totally wrong, including the people on BYC. The rats in our barn have been getting into our coop and they have been pooping allot. I cleaned it out and noticed red blood NOT THE NORMAL RED blood. This was coccidia. I lost one of my favorite hens last night.

I also think that's why my weeks old chicks are dying under my broody, although she is caged with her chicks they keep dying. She had 11, now only 6.

 

[Sonya9]

For the past 2-3 months I've lost around 15 chickens, thinking itwas maraks. I was totally wrong, including the people on BYC. The rats in our barn have been getting into our coop and they have been pooping allot. I cleaned it out and noticed red blood NOT THE NORMAL RED blood. This was coccidia. I lost one of my favorite hens last night.

I also think that's why my weeks old chicks are dying under my broody, although she is caged with her chicks they keep dying. She had 11, now only 6.

It is possible that both things are going on. I am no expert in Marek's disease but I had a young pullet in which it was suspected and did some research.

Marek's is a form of the Herpes Virus. With human herpes up to 90% of the people that have it never know it because they never ever have an outbreak or symptoms (which makes the hysteria over sexually transmitted herpes in the 80's kind of funny). Those that do have outbreaks often find they are related to stress.

From what I have heard/read Marek's is the same way, extreme stress makes chickens much more likely for Mareks to erupt and become fatal (often adolescent chickens that are going through stress fitting into the flock are the most susceptible to it). Likewise I would guess a secondary infection like cocidia that causes stress could also lead to the weakened individuals falling prey to Marek's if they were infected but the virus was dormant.

I had a show breeder tell me he thought it was genetic and that would fit in with the theory too, if some individuals had weak genetic lines then they may become susceptible to the virus while others in the flock aren't.

 

[ShelbyCoral]

We had 3 different aged chickens that died taken away for to be check.

 

[16 paws]

Havent read the posts yet, just got home from work....
So I went down to the coop first thing in the morning and gently lifted up Sophia, the stand in broody for the chick that had pipped yesterday.

We have a live chick everyone!!!!!!!

I rushed down there as soon as I got home from work and there she is sitting next to mama looking happy and very healthy! Sophia is still sitting on her eggs and dumb dumb, that would be me, didnt mark on the calender when I gave her the eggs she is sitting on.

I will go down there tonight and see if there are any pips yet as I believe they are due any day now.

So glad I took the pipped egg away from Penny.

After thinking it over I really dont understand why Penny would kill the just hatched chicks. For all her other broods that didnt hatch we always bought her chicks that were a day or two old and she never hurt them. In fact she was the best mother of any broody I have ever had. Just dont get it.

Thanks again for everyone who posted.....
Marie