Help!!! Broody hen isn't sitting on her eggs

[amanda90]

My hen has been broody for awhile now and sitting on about 7 eggs. She smashed one but finally hatched out a chick. It's been a few days but none of the others have hatched she hasn't been sitting on them
I had to move her today and she stepped on one. I candled it and it's still alive but what should I do with it. Put it in my incubator ??

 

[Suzie]

Yes! As soon as possible...! I had one that a chicken ignored at almost full term and put the egg in my oven at a very low temperature until the incubator was at the right temperature for the chick to hatch..it was a success!

Good luck!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

A hen always leaves the nest and stops brooding eggs about 2-3 days after the first one hatches, she won't go back to brooding. If you have a staggered hatch than either find another source to continue the incubation or pull chicks as they hatch and the hen will keep setting. At this point she won't do it.

 

[amanda90]

I put them in my incubator but I have no idea if they still need to be rotated or not

 

[Suzie]

I put them in my incubator but I have no idea if they still need to be rotated or not

You will need to continue rotating until day 18....do you know how old the egg is?

 

[amanda90]

No I don't know how old they are. I candled them and they're almost all the way full

 

[Suzie]

No I don't know how old they are. I candled them and they're almost all the way full

Then I would not rotate at this stage...make sure your humidity level is high...if in doubt put some wet kitchen towel in the incubator to help with humidity

 

[amanda90]

Ok! I'll do that. Wish me luck. Thank you everyone!!!!

 

[Suzie]

Ok! I'll do that. Wish me luck. Thank you everyone!!!!

Wishing you and your unhatched chick all the best!

I have seen some miracles here of chicks that I did not expect to hatch nor survive but it does happen!

Keep us informed..we care!

 

[amanda90]

So we just got home and I checked on the chick and I think she's trying to hatch So I took her out of one incubator and put her the other one and raised the humidity. Problem is my humidity thing is broken. But it looks like the membrane is kinda dry so I peeled some of the shell off really easy like a zip halfway and put her back in and see what she does now