Help!

[mpmb1227]

This is my first time dealing with a broody hatching chicks. I made an error and allowed her to sit on eggs laid on different days so they will not all hatch at the same time, with the exception of maybe two eggs. Five were still growing when I candled them on the due date for the first egg, having to remove 2. One chick hatched early yesterday morning and one had pipped yesterday but after over 24 hours nothing happened, I read that this is a good time to see what's goin, and the chick had died inside the shell. There are 3 eggs left and none have pipped yet, but its day 26 and the hen is still on the eggs. The one chick that's alive is healthy, but if my hen ends up sitting on those other eggs till they hatch (another should start today) should I take the chick to show it how to eat and drink by tonight or tomorrow morning? And is there any way I can check the eggs to see if there's any alive at this point? Perhaps candling them?

Here's a photo of the one happy healthy little guy/girl!
If no others hatch, could I buy a few day old or so chicks and stick them in with her?

 

[mpmb1227]

Please, anyone with some helpful insight, a word of advice is much needed!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Please, anyone with some helpful insight, a word of advice is much needed!

If you have a brooder you can set up, you can move the chick to a brooder with food and water and candle the other eggs to look for life. A only chick is a lonely chick, so expect a loud unsatisfied chick as long as it's alone. You can add a mirror and/or a small stuffed animal for company.

Do you have an incubator or have someone you can borrow one from? I'd sooner move the unhatched eggs to an incubator and finish the hatch that way and let momma have her chick and mother it. After any others hatch you can try to see if she will accept them back. It would all depend on what I saw after candling. If there are no internal pips, I would want to incubate the eggs myself and let momma be momma.

You can get day olds to add, but whether momma will accept them is another thing. Depends on the hen.

 

[mpmb1227]

So I should candle and check for internal pips? The hen is quite docile, especially for a broody. She's a barnevelder which have a good repute for parenting. I don't have a brooder nor do I know anyone with an extra :/

 

[mpmb1227]

And I don't have an incubator either.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

So I should candle and check for internal pips? The hen is quite docile, especially for a broody. She's a barnevelder which have a good repute for parenting. I don't have a brooder nor do I know anyone with an extra

You can candle. I wouldn't remove the chick though unless you set up a brooder so that it has a place to be warm and get in and out of the warmth as needed.

 

[mpmb1227]

I have a separate post on here, after candling there were no internal pips and I decided to try sneaking babies under her. So far it seems to have worked, I took one out from under her and set it in her sight. I showed it how to go underneath momma and she actually started to clean its face a bit then tucked it underneath. Good signs so far!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have a separate post on here, after candling there were no internal pips and I decided to try sneaking babies under her. So far it seems to have worked, I took one out from under her and set it in her sight. I showed it how to go underneath momma and she actually started to clean its face a bit then tucked it underneath. Good signs so far!

That's great.

 

[mpmb1227]

Thanks all for the advice! I now have the new family in the brooding pen, mom showed them all how to eat and drink too! She had an accident though, five days or so of broody poop almost coated one of the new babies! All is good, thanks again!