HELP! Do I have a bad momma? 1 chick dead 5 others still in shell.

Leavingegypt

Songster
7 Years
Mar 21, 2012
256
9
101
This is my 2nd broody/hatch experience. My first time with a BO went fabulous. Wonderful momma, no problems. To my surprise, 3 weeks ago one of my production reds went broody- go figure. She has been pretty dedicated about sitting on the eggs. Today is hatch day. I have been checking pretty regular. It was starting to rain so I went out to take in feed and checked. I found her off the nest and another pro. red standing in the box. There was a chick that had hatched, no injury, and no shell attched, but it was dead. It was a little Amerucana (Maisie is hatching an egg from each hen with a Black Amerucana as the daddy.
I saw that one egg was pipped. I removed the other hen and scooped up the chick, hoping it was alive. Sadly not.
I'm not sure what to do now. Assume it was a week chick? The other hen killed it? Or Maisie doesn't know what she's doing and smothered it.
Do I take the chicks, if they live? Do I let Maisie try and see what happens? Should I remove tany live chicks and eggs and put them in a brooder? (figure not, since humidity is never gonna match momma.
HELP!
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wait and see. The chick may have been killed by trampling over other hens trying to get in. You need to block access to the nest until maize hatch is over. Put food andwater by her so she's got access. I never let other hens get in a broodies nest when it is close hatch date.
 

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