Help! Hen hatching disaster

[ThistleandThea]

I have a hen that's been still on the nest since spring so I got her some fertile eggs to hatch. 2 hatched but then it got all wet and stinky. 4 eggs were pipped last night and the babies were wet again. This morning one pipped egg was crushed and the others weren't moving and one of the babies can't walk and has a purple stomach. The remaining chick looks weak. Since today is the 21 day I left the hen with the 2 eggs that hadn't pipped although I'm afraid by the time I pulled her off, removed the babies and the dead eggs they got cold. What went wrong? When the hatched babies were wet should I have removed they? Did the hen Smash they baby that can't walk? Why did the pipped eggs die? When it was wet and sticky should I have pulled the pipped eggs and the chicks out sooner?

 

[nchls school]

I don't understand the reference to wet and sticky. Normally chicks are damp/wet when thy first hatch, but dry quickly under the hen.

 

[ThistleandThea]

They dried after hatching then got wet under the hen. I think an egg was already dead and the wet smelled bad

 

[ThistleandThea]

i have one baby still alive. It has been under the lamp for 24 hours it's feathers are still stuck together and it smells like the rotten dead eggs. Should I try to clean it?

 

[FridayYet]

I think I would, there may be bacteria in the egg gunk. Try warm water and a washcloth and if that doesn't work, you may have to give it a bath.

Most important is that the chick doesn't get chilled. Then you can towel off the chick and/or blow dry with a hair dryer on low .

 

[ThistleandThea]

Thanks for the help. I rinsed the chick, I couldn't get it clean very well I'm not sure it helped. Next question: I'm pretty sure this egg that is left isn't going to hatch. Should I remove it and try to put the chick back with the hen? I'm afraid all the hens wants to do is sit on eggs and not take care of the chick.