Help! Broody pecked hole in egg under her

[MGG]

I have a very vigilant Wyandotte sitting on 19 eggs (it’s a long story)
Two hatched late yesterday and she is still sitting tight on the others, but she had done a big poop in there this morning so I had to lift her off to clean it.

She was very angry and pecking at me wildly and got one of her eggs!!

She has pecked a hole in it- I can see chicky breathing inside! She has broken the membrane too. What shall I do? Can I do anything to save it? Judging by earlier candling, I’m expecting it to hatch any day now, I am guessing it’s 20 days today and it’s a silkie egg.

She is so very determined that she doesn’t even get off to poop- I have been clearing her poops away and feeding her some greens and feed on the nest- presumably she is getting off for water, she won’t take any when I offer it. She isn’t showing any signs of leaving the nest yet and shouts at her 2 chicks when they emerge.

Edited to add- I put the egg straight back under her

Can you post a pic? Don't feed her during the last few dats, and esp. not on the nest. She'll come off and eat if she's hungry. She needs to get off and poop. If you put food where she can reach it from the nest, she's going to poop on the eggs again, and you saw the problems that can cause. The food and water should be at least a few feet away.

 

[Bluebellhoney]

Anything yet?

No, it’s beak is now in the hole and the hole is larger, but it isn’t moving. I have left it under Mum who is still super committed despite 5 now having hatched. I only have pics of four so far as I get pecked to bits every time I go near her!

 

[Bluebellhoney]

Can you post a pic? Don't feed her during the last few dats, and esp. not on the nest. She'll come off and eat if she's hungry. She needs to get off and poop. If you put food where she can reach it from the nest, she's going to poop on the eggs again, and you saw the problems that can cause. The food and water should be at least a few feet away.

I had left the food and water across the coop- I only started feeding her because she had got so thin. I can’t put much in reach anyway because of the space. She has got off a couple of times as there has been the massive tell tale poop, but I think for the whole sit, she has pooped 3 times off the nest and 3 times on it (humongous poos but even so!). I’ve had a few sit now (bantams though) and never one like this, she has lost so much weight! Is it normal?

 

[CluckerFamily]

I normally put a broody in a dog crate with the food and water right by her because her instinct will be to stay sitting until all are hatched.

 

[Bluebellhoney]

I normally put a broody in a dog crate with the food and water right by her because her instinct will be to stay sitting until all are hatched.

What do you do about poo?

 

[CluckerFamily]

What do you do about poo?

With the crate, I am able to push the poop out of the sides, my broody poops toward the side of the nest she is sitting on. They can be quite large because she is sitting so much but as soon as the chicks start hatching, I don’t remove any poop. After a few days, she is ready to lead the chicks away and then I dispose of the eggs that won’t hatch.
The crate I use has her nest on one side and and standing space on the other side with more food and water added over there when the chicks start wondering but mom is still sitting. That way the chicks have food and water too while they are playing and mom is working.
Not sure what others do, this just seemed to work for my broody and I.

 

[CluckerFamily]

When mom is done sitting and you see those chicks following her around, you can’t help but say “awwww” every time you see them, even when no one is around you. Enjoy the littles!!

 

[Bluebellhoney]

When mom is done sitting and you see those chicks following her around, you can’t help but say “awwww” every time you see them, even when no one is around you. Enjoy the littles!!

I love watching them! This one is a first time mum and it’s so lovely to see her devotion!

 

[Bluebellhoney]

With the crate, I am able to push the poop out of the sides, my broody poops toward the side of the nest she is sitting on. They can be quite large because she is sitting so much but as soon as the chicks start hatching, I don’t remove any poop. After a few days, she is ready to lead the chicks away and then I dispose of the eggs that won’t hatch.
The crate I use has her nest on one side and and standing space on the other side with more food and water added over there when the chicks start wondering but mom is still sitting. That way the chicks have food and water too while they are playing and mom is working.
Not sure what others do, this just seemed to work for my broody and I.

Thank you, sounds good, mine is in a nest box which isn’t ideal!

 

[Bluebellhoney]

An update:
The poor little chick in the pecked egg died. Her beak was at the hole, but she hadn’t unzipped, no movement or cheeping and was starting to smell funny...
8 eggs have hatched, one died after unzipping but before pushing out of the egg, and Mum abandoned the others! One was pipped so I put them under another broody, but this morning the same has happened to that chick- it had unzipped but not emerged and is dead.
I’ve never had this before, is it likely to do with the vast amount of eggs affecting incubation temps? I was torn in the beginning about whether to put some in the incubator but in the end I left them all under her, now I’m regretting it!