Help! Broody left pipping chick behind-covered with white things?

[abraga]

They could be maggot eggs l ayed by flies

 

[azygous]

I just saw the rice shaped "eggs". Those wouldn't be worm eggs, which are round and much too small to see.

That looks more like fly larva. Have you looked at it carefully to see if they move? How about viewing them under a magnifying lens?

The only way they could get on the chicks is if there are lots of flies and some laid the eggs as the chicks were coming out of the eggs. Where the broody has her nest, are there a lot of flies on her?

 

[abraga]

X2...if u look up fly eggs on google...u will see that those are maggot eggs.

 

[Aerliss]

I'd put my money on some sort of flying insect. Ants lay eggs in the nest, while flies lay them on the food source. Hopefully they dried out and died before hatching. If not they'll be burrowing into the chick.

I don't know about the safety of using ivermectin or permethrin on chicks, but it is likely too late for a topical application anyway. Fingers crossed for the wee one.

 

[Sara L]

I didn't notice flies when I found the eggs, but it was after dark. The broody had left the nest in the daytime with the first 5 chicks, so there were probably plenty of opportunities for a fly to land on the chick who had already pipped. The other 2 did not have the eggs on them, but their shells had still been closed until I interfered. So far all 3 chicks are healthy and no sign of maggots or the fly eggs hatching.

 

[ChickenLover1256]

I have seen that before, I don’t know what it was but it went away. And I had 3 heathy chickens, I was raising them for a friend.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

I didn't notice flies when I found the eggs, but it was after dark. The broody had left the nest in the daytime with the first 5 chicks, so there were probably plenty of opportunities for a fly to land on the chick who had already pipped. The other 2 did not have the eggs on them, but their shells had still been closed until I interfered. So far all 3 chicks are healthy and no sign of maggots or the fly eggs hatching.

You did good removing the eggs. Flies go to bed about dark. they find anything and everything to lay eggs on. since chick had pip hole, very easy and fast for flies to lay eggs in hole and they can hatch within hours into flesh eating larvae. Glad you were able to save those chicks. Lots of hens leave unhatched eggs when the first ones get dry and start moving around. If you have a safe place for her and chicks try to snatch them at dark and put them there and you should be able to slip the others under her then. Someplace you can keep her and the chicks until they are bigger. Best to you.

 

[Sara L]

I'm glad I didn't trust the broody with the three chicks I rescued. She had the five chicks she hatched, and refused to go into the pen with all the other chickens. She lost the runty chick after about a week or so, and took good care of the remaining four up until last week. Then she acted like she wanted to go back into the pen with the other chickens and ignored the chicks; we scolded her and eventually she bedded down with the chicks again. She only had 3 the next morning. Now a few days later, she has only 1 left.

The three I am brooding are getting big, and are the size of a full grown quail. They have most of their feathers but still are in that awkward teenage phase.