help!adopted eggs,not sure what i'm doing!

[crystal10asee]

Hi,my names crystal and I recently adopted some of my hens eggs.one of my little cochins went broody while I was unaware.so I'm not sure when germination began.second,my other hen was laying in the same nest,then she desides to brood.so now I have no way of knowing hatch date,plus there are many at different stages of life.to make matters worse when I knew it was getting close to time for some to hatch(approximate)dog snatched one of my girls right off the nest.so here's where I become frantic and in a haste desided I have to try to help.now there's too many eggs for one hen.I take 7 put them in a pet carrier without top,because all I had for a source of heat was a heat lamp.I have done some quick reading on any thing I could find on internet to try to save these babies.I also use a spray bottle w/water for humidity .any way,now I have been seeing one try to push through inner membrane,but this is been over the last three days I have been seeing this.I'm worried theres a problem.can't tell if it has piped inside or not.beaks are small.my other hen hatched one yesterday and one today.also on the egg I noticed yesterday that one side of its air chamber dropped about an 1/8 inch.I know cause the day before I desided to mark it .I have managed to keep them all alive for nearly a week now with the lords help,I don't want to loose one now.PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

 

[crystal10asee]

Hi,my names crystal and I recently adopted some of my hens eggs.one of my little cochins went broody while I was unaware.so I'm not sure when germination began.second,my other hen was laying in the same nest,then she desides to brood.so now I have no way of knowing hatch date,plus there are many at different stages of life.to make matters worse when I knew it was getting close to time for some to hatch(approximate)dog snatched one of my girls right off the nest.so here's where I become frantic and in a haste desided I have to try to help.now there's too many eggs for one hen.I take 7 put them in a pet carrier without top,because all I had for a source of heat was a heat lamp.I have done some quick reading on any thing I could find on internet to try to save these babies.I also use a spray bottle w/water for humidity .any way,now I have been seeing one try to push through inner membrane,but this is been over the last three days I have been seeing this.I'm worried theres a problem.can't tell if it has piped inside or not.beaks are small.my other hen hatched one yesterday and one today.also on the egg I noticed yesterday that one side of its air chamber dropped about an 1/8 inch.I know cause the day before I desided to mark it .I have managed to keep them all alive for nearly a week now with the lords help,I don't want to loose one now.PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

 

[redsoxs]

Hi Crystal.... patient - someone with incubating knowledge will respond soon. Hang in there!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Boy life sure throws you some curves sometimes doesn't it. It sounds like you are doing the best you can under the circumstances. I applaud you for that.

I'm not a great incubation expert and I'm not there looking at them. I can't tell you which specific eggs to choose, but what I'd suggest is to try to remove the chicks as they hatch and and put them in a brooder. Replace them under the hen with another egg.

This may not work but what I hope you can achieve is that the hen stays on the nest to hatch the eggs. Usually a broody will stay on the nest until she decides it's time to bring the ones that have hatched off to find food and water, even if that means leaving unhatched eggs with living chicks in them behind. If you remove the chicks as they hatch and dry out, maybe she will stay on and hatch more of them.

You have a rough situation right now. You are not likely to have a great success with losing that hen to the dog. I just hope you can salvage something.

 

[crystal10asee]

Thank you! I may try that with a couple.she's been on there a long time now.I just pray that she don't abandon on me.but seeing how she's only got two chicks its worth a try.

 

[rgoodwin]

Crystal,

The chances of you saving those babys are slim to none.... it sounds like you are doing all you can do. I have hatched quail and chickens. When you loose a hen like that, you dont know how much temp you have lost before you find them. Dont feel too bad if you lose them. Just have to try again. It happens.