Help Help Help@!!!!!! DAY 20 BROKEN EGG!!

[stumble_n_mumble]

ok! i mean its been an hour and a half now and hes still breathing well and the yolk is definitely shrinking quickly! oh im hoping!!! its a silkie, perfect 10 toes and vaulted skull.... UGH!

 

[plecostrum]

im hatching silkies also thought what a vulted skull well heres a good info site lol and a pic so glad you said it cause if i had hatched a baby like that bottom one with a hole in its head i would of thought it was a dud lolol

http://www.hattricksilkies.net/articles_vaulted_skull.html

good luck with the hatching are they all silkies under the broody? what hens are there and howmany?

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

no i know what a vaulted skull is.... theres no hole on the head... im talking about where the yolk isnt absorbed..

unfortunately the baby died after 2 hours! it was BEAUTIFUL!

went out this morning and i could hear another cheeping in the egg! lets pray for this one!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, I am so very sorry. It was just one of those things, it could have died anyway if you left it in the shell, you helped give it every chance to survive.

And now, from the Department of Locking The Barn Door After The Horse Runs Away, just how did that duck gain access to your broody's nest? Is there a way you can keep your broodies in more secure housing? I like to keep my broodies in complete confinement, with just enough room for them to get up to eat/drink/poop. They don't go out and nobird can get in until after all the chickies hatch.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

i know i have to set something up.... the house is 3 feet off the ground with a ramp..... my 12 pound pekin climbed the ramp and got up there! it was quite funny until she "killed" the one chick!! i never thought my 6 month old roo was actually fertile enough for eggs so i didnt think anything of it.... guess i was wrong! anyway in the spring i plan on building separate quarters like you said for broody's

the little bugger due today is cheeping in the egg..... i hope it all works out!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Yup, it's always a continual learning experience when keeping poultry, we keep on living & learning, and sometimes have to learn the hard way... There have been other threads devoted to pictures & descriptions of broody quarters. Many folks use what they already have, just use wire or boards or whatever to enclose an area in the coop. Or repurpose something like a rabbit hutch, parrot cage, or dog kennel. They really don't need much room, enough for the nest and at least a square foot of space to get up & eat/drink/poop. You'll want easy access so you can replenish the food/water and scoop out the broody poop every day or so.

I have learned (the hard way) that it's best to give the broody complete seclusion. That way no other bird can get in & bother her or her egglings, and also so that the broody doesn't get misdirected on her way back from her coffee breaks and go set in another nest, letting her egglings cool. I give them a day or two in the place they've chosen for themselves, then move them to the broody pen well after dark.

I pray for success with your remaining egglings yet to hatch, and with your future clutches!