Help please.....

[thehollos]

Hello I am new today although I have used this site 100's of times for info, but now I am panicikng.

I am hatching my first bantam chicks natures way with 2 very broody hens and havent kept records of dates(

). The first one had 6 eggs under her and the first 3 hatched over 3 days and then she pushed the remaining 3 out of the nest to the other side of the pen and carried on to raise her babies. I took these three eggs and put them under hen 2 who was still sat on lots of eggs. I marked them with a 0 so that i could see their development.

Hen 2 was sat on 10 eggs now so I candled them all and the three abandoned eggs were far into their developement and 4 were still at the real squirmy, bulgy eye stage. the other 3 weren't fertalized.

I marked the 4 squirmies with an x.

Two days ago the first 'x' chick hatched and then another 2 and now I see today the last one has pipped. Mum has come of the nest and is seeing to her babies.

I naturally then assumed the 3 '0' eggs, that were abondoned 10 days ago now by hen 1 were duds.I candled them again and could see no sign of life at all.

Out of an inane curiosity I decided to open one. To my absolute horror the chick was alive and still very bloody and no where near developed! How can this be? This chick has been sat on now for about a month by two hens!! I dont know what to do with the other two as I daren't put them back with her, I have no broodies and at the moment they are on a heat mat.

help!!!!!!!!!

 

[jdypat]

You did not say how far you opened the egg. I would get a small box put a light over it and try hard to keep the egg warm. you would be surprised how often this will hatch an egg..
my grandson took a fresh egg home with him once. kept it under a baby blanket with a bulb over it. and no humidity added and it hatched out a healthy baby in time.
I have also opened up an egg as you did, and discovered it was too early and laid it back in the incubator and left it alone and it developed normally and lived.
too much tinkering is the most danger for eggs. I call it "tinkeritius" good luck.. jdy

 

[ebonykawai]

Sometimes it's just best to let the hen decide.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Does anyone you know have an incubator you could borrow and try finishing hatching them?...If not the only thing you can "try" is keeping them warm on a low setting of the heating mat so you don't cook them and wrapped in wet washcloths for humidity to try to get them to hatch....may take acouple days....chicks can be tough little creatures and hatch out under adverse conditions at times...

Seems one of the hens has laid alittle longer when setting her clutch of eggs and they are just later in development....

 

[thehollos]

Thankyou for your quick replies.
Unfortunately the egg was too far opened. I had not expected to see a live chick so had not been careful.

I live in rural spain and dont know anybody who has an incubator. I think that chick was a week away from hatching so I shall give the others a week or so. I have a heating mat and have doubled it over and keep checking the temp which is sitting at about 39 c.

I hope I can save them as I feel dreadful about killing their sibling!( I dispatched of him quickly and humanly)