Help! One chick died, one is stuck? Cheeping heard inside.

[nurseruth]

I have never been around hatching chicks. Our rooster was killed by a dog 21 days ago, so we decided to let the broody hen sit on the eggs to see if we could hatch any while we still had a chance. Yesterday we found one dead chick with its head out of the egg but it was squashed. Today my husband heard cheeping from inside another egg. He decided to help it out and poked the egg and the membrane a bit, I happened to call home right then by chance, and told him to stop! Not good I think! It is still cheeping hours later...I am afraid it will suffocate. I am going up to check on it now, then will check this forum for answers. It is under the hen. I last checked on it 2 hours ago. Is it normal to cheep while inside?? Cool! I really hope it lives. It may be our only one.

 

[greathorse]

It is normal for them to cheep inside the egg. Most folks and I would agree would let the hen take care of the hatching scene. The one that died was liely destined to not make it. Intervention can save chicks from time to time, but it often does not work out too well.

 

[Sushi]

Yes it is normal for it to cheep while inside the egg. Its actually a very good sign. Given that you have a broody hen and have not used an incubator, I would leave it be for the time being. The hen does a much better job than the incubator.

 

[Sushi]

LOL, see ? Two people gave you pretty much the same reply immediately.

If you're short a rooster, you should check out the classifieds on here. A lot of times there are people just giving them away.

 

[nurseruth]

Wow! I just checked and now 3 of the 4 eggs under the chicken have little peck holes in their shells. It was pretty quiet up there, but I still heard a few cheeps! I think three may hatch soon!!!! Should I keep checking all night? How long does it take? Will the hen get upset if I look too often? The whole flock (had 7- now have 5) was traumatized 3 days ago. Some predator got in the little cat door which had been left open at night, and killed two of the hens. This has never happened before. I think the hens are extra "chicken" because of this recent event.

 

[Sushi]

It's pretty exciting I know, but it'd probably be better just to make sure the cat door is locked, the area is secure and leave her be with the eggs/chicks. She must be a nice natured hen if she hasn't pecked you by now. LOL It can take 24 hours or more for the eggs to hatch from the time they pip. Or it can take less time and you might see some little heads peeking out from under your hen in the morning. In other words, they'll take as long as they take. It varies.

 

[nurseruth]

Thanks for your answers. We hated to think they needed help because the lay mix makes our shells so hard. We are total newbies obviously. I did think that the hen should be able to handle it. It is natural after all, but maybe the lay feed is not natural... My next worry will be if the chicks will need to be lifted out to the floor?The lay boxes are elevated at about a hip high level. The coop is a nice chicken house with straw on the floor. The trap door is shut at night now! Will they fall out? Will I have to feed them or does the Mom? I will go to the other forum on raising chicks.

 

[Sushi]

I would have some water and some chick starter out on the same level that the chicks are at. The hen will show them where the food & water is so long as they don't have any trouble getting to it. If you dont see them eating or drinking, you can dip their beaks in the water, and the swallow reflex will kick in. To show them where the food is, just put them by the food and tap at the food with your fingernail, like you're pecking at it. They will copy you and start to eat. Congrats on the babies.

 

[nurseruth]

What if our babies started to cry in the womb 24 hours before they were born?? Wouldn't that be weird? I just re-read my first post, somehow it didn't print the part I was worried about, that my husband poked the shell and the membrane because he thought the chick was stuck! He cracked the shell in several places. (on just the one egg) The other 2 poked their own holes in their shells hours later.

 

[Sushi]

Funny you should mention that. Human babies do start to cry in the womb. I just saw a documentary on that. They have video of a late term fetus turning its head away and tilting its head back with its mouth open (ie the same physical motions a new born makes when it starts to cry) seen through 3D ultrasound. Of course with it still breathing fluid until birth, we can't hear it.

Was the egg he poked the one that died? If not, just leave it alone and it will hatch itself out. I think breaking the shell from the outside makes it harded for them to "zip" the shell because it makes the fault line irregular. If it hasn't come out on its own aftr 48 hours, it may need some help. Poking holes in the shell sooner than the chick does can make the egg dry out inside as the chick is trying to hatch. The membrane can dry out around the chick, resulting in it being shrink wrapped inside the egg. You might need to carefully dampen the membrane without getting water in its nostrils but right now its probably too soon to worry about that. The hen may help the babies out herself. I think they have a better idea of when a chick needs assistance than we do.