Help - hen stopped laying on eggs that are ready to hatch

[MAstrella]

We are new to this so bare with us - we have hen that stopped laying on her eggs and they are getting ready to hatch. Yesterday my son noticed a small crack in one of the eggs and we could hear the baby chirping. The hen that was broody stopped laying on the eggs the day before and hasn't been on them since.

As we were looking at the eggs another hen pecked a large hole in the egg that was chirping and she kept coming over to do it again. We ended up pulling all of the eggs out because another hen came over to lay an egg on that same pile.

So, now we have all of her eggs inside under a heat lamp and we think we lost the one that was hatching yesterday - my kids are heart broken. They think the poor thing overheated under the lamp.

We have another egg chirping now and we aren't sure what temp is ideal and once it starts to crack out of it's shell then what? Move it away from the heat, keep it there, or anything else?

Thanks in advance!

 

[M-H-Fielding]

I hatched lots of chicks using an incubator, seemed to work pretty well. Maybe try getting moisture to the eggs? I think the chicks might be dying because the air is dry. Try putting steam in the air.
Once the chicks are hatched, give them food and water immediately. They can stay in with the eggs, and the first ones will cheer the others on.

 

[black_cat]

Can you use something to raise humidity, like a humidifier or wet something? I have no idea how hot eggs are supposed to be at hatch, but @MysteryChicken chicken probably does. Do you have something with solid sides and a lid you could put them in to help maintain humidity? Do you have a thermometer or a humidity measurey thing that idk what it's called?

 

[MAstrella]

We have them in our basement, I figured at least the humidity level down there would be better. I don't have an incubator or anything for steam, is there another way I can get moisture to the eggs? This was a totally unexpected rescue and we are unprepared.

 

[black_cat]

We have them in our basement, I figured at least the humidity level down there would be better. I don't have an incubator or anything for steam, is there another way I can get moisture to the eggs? This was a totally unexpected rescue and we are unprepared.

Can you put them in an enclosed container with the heat lamp heating it and a dish of water or wet paper towel? Wet thing should not be touching eggs. Have you candled them?

 

[MAstrella]

I wonder if I can rest them all on a damp towel so the shell absorbs some of that water? We don't have a humidifier.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Can you use something to raise humidity, like a humidifier or wet something? I have no idea how hot eggs are supposed to be at hatch, but @MysteryChicken chicken probably does. Do you have something with solid sides and a lid you could put them in to help maintain humidity? Do you have a thermometer or a humidity measurey thing that idk what it's called?

It's called a Hygrometer.

Humidity should be around 55%-65% for hatching, & temperature dropped at 98°F-97°F for the hatching chicks since they can produce most of their body heat at this point.

 

[MAstrella]

Can you put them in an enclosed container with the heat lamp heating it and a dish of water or wet paper towel? Wet thing should not be touching eggs. Have you candled them?

We haven't candled them, but I will try wet paper towel in the container not touching the eggs and put them in something that has a lid.

 

[black_cat]

I wonder if I can rest them all on a damp towel so the shell absorbs some of that water? We don't have a humidifier.

I'm pretty sure from what I've read the damp towel should not be on them directly, because it will actually suck moisture out of them. Do you have some sort of box you can put them in with some sort of lid? You could put eggs in with a wet paper towel or towel, then put lid on and add heat lamp. Put air holes in lid.

 

[black_cat]

We haven't candled them, but I will try wet paper towel in the container not touching the eggs and put them in something that has a lid.

That's great! i'll let MysterChicken take you from here.