Help! Rookie Mistake!

[dlamb82]

Soooo I ended up with a broody BLRW about 3 weeks ago and I decided to let her sit on a few eggs. I made a major rookie mistake though. I did not mark the eggs under her and I did not check under her every day. I had marked on my calendar 21 days and we ended up with 1 chick that hatched on the 19th at exactly 21 days from when I let her sit on eggs. Two days ago she actually got up and I counted the number of eggs still under her, there are 15!!!! I do not know when they were each laid and I don’t want to throw any away as I don’t know if they’re viable and she’s still sitting ...next issue is I brought the solo chick inside and placed him/her into my brooder in the house as I am not really set up for her to be outside with momma and momma is still broody. She/he is by himself and cries a lot. Also her/his poop is yellow which I don’t remember my other chicks pooping yellow. I have water and chick feed, heat lamp etc. same as when I bought chicks before earlier this year. She/he keeps getting this yellow poop dried on her fluff so I keep cleaning the little butt to prevent blockage...sooooo....Yea, any advice? She/he’s an EE x with a Wyndotte Roo...I’m assuming my GLW but It could be my BLRW

 

[HuskerHens18]

It cries because its lonely. Chick's can go about 2 to 3 days without food or drink after hatching, so some people leave chicks under the broody until the rest hatch. It might be yellow since the chick's most recent "meal" was its yolk it absorbed, but I could be wrong. You're doing a great job!
Have you candled any of her eggs? That's your most accurate guess for the closest to hatching ones. If you don't know how I can tell you

 

[dlamb82]

It cries because its lonely. Chick's can go about 2 to 3 days without food or drink after hatching, so some people leave chicks under the broody until the rest hatch. It might be yellow since the chick's most recent "meal" was its yolk it absorbed, but I could be wrong. You're doing a great job!
Have you candled any of her eggs? That's your most accurate guess for the closest to hatching ones. If you don't know how I can tell you

Hello and no I haven’t candled any of them. Is it too late to candle them since I’m pretty sure some should be close to hatching at this point. Baby chick was born on Saturday and it’s now Wednesday....I’m afraid I have some infertile or bad eggs since none of the others have hatched but again...I made a mistake and have no clue when any of them were laid. Darn Dorothy (that’s my broody) stole all of my EEs eggs...there are 13 blue/green eggs from my EE under her and 2 brown which I am assuming are hers but could be one of my other BLRW or GLW or Buff Orpingtons

 

[dlamb82]

It cries because its lonely. Chick's can go about 2 to 3 days without food or drink after hatching, so some people leave chicks under the broody until the rest hatch. It might be yellow since the chick's most recent "meal" was its yolk it absorbed, but I could be wrong. You're doing a great job!
Have you candled any of her eggs? That's your most accurate guess for the closest to hatching ones. If you don't know how I can tell you

Oh I also put a little stuffed animal in the brooder with her to try and help...I know it’s not the same but I feel bad cause it’s my fault she’s by herself since I didn’t know what I was doing

 

[SueT]

You might put a mirror in there as well.
Broody may hatch out another soon and then the orphan will have a buddy.

 

[HuskerHens18]

Here's my favorite candling chart. The numbers are what day they're on.

I'll be honest, I have candled at day 21 and its been fine. Is there risk? Yes! But at the time it was an emergency and I needed to know. If you'd rather leave them, that's perfectly fine. You never know, a chick could be hatching right now!

If you're able, just check the lone baby chick as much as possible so it knows theres at least one living creature in the house.

 

[dlamb82]

View attachment 1942038
Here's my favorite candling chart. The numbers are what day they're on.

I'll be honest, I have candled at day 21 and its been fine. Is there risk? Yes! But at the time it was an emergency and I needed to know. If you'd rather leave them, that's perfectly fine. You never know, a chick could be hatching right now!

If you're able, just check the lone baby chick as much as possible so it knows theres at least one living creature in the house.

We go in there several times a day and hold her and talk to her. My 4 year old likes to sing to her. I feel really bad. I also am afraid to mess with the eggs cause most of them should be close to hatching. I go out there and check at least twice a day to see if I hear chirping and also try to get broody to get up to let me look. I checked under her prior to posting this. Also I worry about her cause she’s lost a lot of weight and doesn’t get up that often. Honestly the day I got to count two days ago is there first time I saw her get up and go out with the rest of the flock and eat!

 

[dlamb82]

You might put a mirror in there as well.
Broody may hatch out another soon and then the orphan will have a buddy.

I prayed last night that we’d have at least one other chick today but so far no luck! I’ve learned a valuable lesson for sure but have been Beating myself up since Monday and no other chicks have hatched

 

[dlamb82]

Ok, to add to my earlier drama, baby chick was making a ruckus so I went in to check on her and clean her butt cause she keeps getting poop on her fluffy butt feathers and I’m afraid it’s gonna block her up. Anyways I.Saw.a.LOUSE! She’s got lice! Which means that Mama has lice....which means my other 12 chickens probably have lice

now what?!?!?

 

[SueT]

Oh no, sorry to hear about lice. That happened to mine too. Mama hen hatched out 3 out of 4 eggs, then seemed to have abandoned #4. I reached in to get it and there were lice in the nest. I dusted Mama and babies w Permethrin and moved them to a new area, also dusted. At that point, she wouldn't take back egg 4.
I brought #4 egg in the house and put it on a heating pad, it hatched overnight. The next day Mama wouldn't take it back, she acted like she wanted to kill it. I had a constantly peeping baby in a brooder inside, wouldn't shut up unless I was holding it. It was this past summer, so the feed stores still had baby chicks. I went and bought 1 chick and they became good buddies, the orphan was quiet at last. Later it turned out they were both boys!