Help!

[Hidden Chick]

First let me tell you I am pretty new to this whole thing, so I turn to BYC a lot for information and it has been great. So I decided to let my bantam sit on six eggs in late February. Everything I have been read is so confusing to me, first my hen sat on her eggs for 26 days before the first chick pecked through, and she is still sitting on five more eggs. The one chick is out and doing great, but the others show no sign of hatching until this morning when one of the eggs has a peck whole about the size of dime in it. It is now about 7pm and there is still no advancement. Is this normal, I cant see the chick moving, but I am trying not to disturb it to much. What about the other eggs, I candled them and there is something in them...I just don't know how long to wait, it is day 28. Help!!

 

[lazy gardener]

I can't help you much, it's been about 45 years since I've had a broody! But, could she have started the other eggs at a later date, or perhaps they were added to her nest after she started setting on the first one? Usually they abandon any unhatched eggs after 2 - 3 days. How old is the first chick? If the second one does not make it out of the shell by morning, you could intervene, but without having an incubator, your best bet is to let broody take care of business. Either it will hatch, or it won't. If, by morning, you could try an assisted hatch using a warm lamp to profide heat and taking it into a steamy bathroom. Read the threads on assisted hatching if you need to go that route. After the chick is dried off, you could return it to Mama.

 

[Hidden Chick]

Thanks for the feed back. The first baby chick came out Monday morning. We hit a cold spell here so I was wondering if that might delay the rest from hatching. My broody is doing a great job of sitting on the eggs and still teaching the little one to eat and drink. She doesn't get up much. You may be right with the eggs, the first week was very confusing, because she was sitting in the "favorite box" and so other chickens would chase her out and lay there eggs. I finally got wise and marked her eggs, and made her a little enclosure so the other hens would leave her in peace, but she could still be seen. I keep trying to tell myself, I won't give up until she does. I am hoping by morning the other little one who pipped out a bit is back to making some progress. Fingers crossed,...this is so stressful.

 

[lazy gardener]

At least she has one chick to mother! I hope you have several more by morning!